Forgive Me
by Meredith Bronwen Mallory
Summary: (Alternate Reality) What if Endymion and Serenity have another daughter, other than ChibiUsa. What secrets does Princess Dia have that cause her to have reaccurring nightmares that haunt her at night. Who is this mysterious man that she wants her parents
1. One

AN: All right. I suppose you could call this an alternate reality fic, b/c Endymion and Serenity have another daughter aside from Chibi-Usa. I am using the Japanese names in this, however, I don't know if Endymion and Serenity are the correct names. I'm just going to use them anyway. This is not a very WAFF fic, but it deals with E/S relationship in Crystal Tokyo, and their relationships with their daughters. I do hope you like it. Remember, this is only part one. Oh, and most of this is told third-person Endymion. (In other words, it's told third person, but is limited by what Endy knows). FEED BACK IS NEEDED. 

Thanks to Saruka for being my pre-reader. 

Luv: Meredith Legal Disclaimers: Sailor Moon by any other name would smell as sweet, though it still wouldn't belong to me. HOWEVER, Dia is MY character, and this plot is also MINE. 

Personal Disclaimer: My mental state is slowly deteriorating, but *I'M* not crazy. (Insert insane laugh here) 

Forgive Me 1/?  
By Meredith Bronwen Mallory 

At precisely midnight on Friday, December 13th, 2210, the first born daughter of Endymion and Serenity, King and Queen of Earth and Moon, came into the world. She didn't scream and she didn't cry, but lay there silently as the doctors pulled her from the warm womb of her mother. She opened her violet eyes to the world and looked at the strange men patiently. 

"Strange baby," whispered one of the nurses. 

"It's bad luck to have silent baby," remarked another. 

"Is everything alright?" Neo-Queen Serenity asked worriedly as she struggled to sit up, holding her husband's hand. 

"Hai, everything's fine, Serenity," Ami remarked, "Your daughter is just an unusually quite baby." The Mercurian senshi giggled a little, "She certainly isn't related to YOU," she teased. 

"Must get it from Endy," the Neo-Queen pronounced with certainty. Her husband merely laughed as Ami handed him his daughter. The King of the Earth, once known as Chiba Mamoru, looked into his daughter's eyes and... shivered. The child looked up at him, serene as anything ever could be, violet eyes too old to belong to a child. And he knew something was wrong. Then the moment passed, and the little girl took a big, deep breath, and let out a scream that was probably heard all the way in China. Everyone covered their ears as Endymion hurriedly handed the child to his wife. 

"I stand corrected," Ami laughed. Serenity rocked the girl in her embrace, and the child quieted almost immediately 

"Hello there," Serenity cooed, smiling when her newborn gasped her finger with her tiny hand. In truth, the Queen was a bit shocked. The child was not the pink haired, ruby eyed demon she had been expecting, but rather, a calm angel with a head of white hair and jewel-like violet eyes. Those eyes... they seemed oddly familiar... but Serenity couldn't place them. 

"What shall we name her, darling?" Endymion asked as he leaned in close. 

"Hmm... I don't think Usagi will work," she commented. 

"Neither do I... What about Angel?" 

"Na.. How about, Dia?" Serenity paused. Where had that come from? Angel seemed like a perfectly sweet name, but, she looked down at her white-on-white daughter and realized it would have been all wrong for her. 

"Dia, I like it! Dia it is then!" Endymion declared, watching as Mercury left the room to inform the other Senshi of the birthing. Endymion looked down to see Serenity had fallen asleep, and gently brushed his lips to her forehead She was so strong... hundreds of years had not dimmed his love for her. Turning, the King gazed out the window at the wide, bustling expanse of Crystal Tokyo, capital of Earth and Moon. All this, his responsibility, well, his and Serenity's. Suddenly, he felt an intense gaze boring into his back. Whirling around, thinking it perhaps to be one of the other senshi, or even a reporter, he found no one there. But then he looked down, and saw Dia staring right at him, eyes wide and focused, not at all like that of a child. That was the first inkling Endymion received that something was wrong with his daughter. 

------------ 

Amendment: Something was terribly wrong with his daughter, Endymion thought worriedly as he gazed out at Crystal Tokyo. Behind him, Serenity, Dia and Chibi-Usa all lay curled up in the big king sized bed, all having been frightened by the storm. Actually, Dia had come running in screaming at the top of her lungs, thrown herself into her mother's arms and had not moved since. Endymion had the sneaking suspicion that she was watching him, but he didn't want to turn around and be proven right. 

Make no mistake, Endymion loved Dia to the ends of the earth, just as much as he loved Chibi-Usa But there had always been a slight distance between himself and his eldest daughter. They were close, but Dia and Serenity were closer. There were times that Endymion believed should Serenity ever be even the slightest bit displeased with Dia, the child might wither up and die, such was her respect, admiration and love for her mother. It was true, Dia avoided Serenity's displeasure like the plague, always out to please, to impress, to make her mother proud. 

She was your everyday, ordinary child of the two greatest monarchs of all time. She had a sweet disposition and a keen mind, even at seven. Dia's blinding white hair fell down her back, ending at her waist. She pulled it up in two small odangos, letting the rest flow loose and wild. It almost seemed to have a life of it's own. Serenity loved to have Dia sit in her lap so she could enjoy brushing it in motherly attention The people called Dia the White Princess, for indeed, her skin was like china, her hair snow-white (AN: harhar), and she usually wore white. The only color in her at all were her eyes, the deep, searching violet that had sent shivers down her father's spine seven years ago. Endymion was very proud of his little girl, she was an angel... except... except sometimes. 

Sometimes it didn't seem like it was Dia lurking behind those violet eyes, but rather someone else. Someone older, someone Endymion knew, and yet could not place. Until today. An idea was forming in the King's mind, a inkling, a suspicion that shook him to the core. He prayed to God it wasn't who he thought it was. Turning away from the window, Endymion found his gaze resting on Dia, spooned up against her mother, looking at him with wide eyes. *Different* eyes. He couldn't think with her looking at him like that. It wasn't her 'yes, I'm an angel,' look she normally carried, but rather she seemed as though she was studying him. '_Is it just my imagination, or did I see hate this time?_' Endymion wondered as he walked down the deserted corridors Each time that look passed through Dia's eyes, he swore he saw more hatred grow. Of course, he could only count the occasions on the fingers of one hand, but they were there. 

The first had been when Dia was born, the second, three years ago, just before Chibi-Usa was born. The world had been rocked by a rash of murders committed by a man calling himself the Black Moon killer. Of course, he and Serenity both knew that he was probably the first of the Black Moon family that would soon begin to surface. Though, thanks to Setsuna, the King and Queen remembered little of that time, they did know that the clock was counting down, and with the conception of Chibi-Usa, things were all but laid down on the chosen path. Anyway, unlike almost everyone else, who cringed at the mention of the Black Moon Killer, Dia had showed a peculiar interest in the subject, though four years old at the time. 

The incident in question arrived the night of the murder's capture. Dia had sat in front of the screen, eyes fixed and keen with interest. After the story was over, a shaken Serenity had turned the viewscreen off, retreating to the comfort of Enymion's embrace. Then the strangest thing happened. Dia stood up, and slowly turned around, her posture stiff. She had gazed on Endymion with those unfamiliar eyes, then fixed her focus on her mother. 

"Mother" there was something strange in the four-year old's address. "If I did something really bad, would you forgive me?" Her voice had grown older just speaking those words, it had turned almost...masculine. Serenity had looked up, shocked. 

"Of...of course, sweetie pie. I'll always love you, no matter what you do," she responded warmly. Dia shook her white locks, almost disgusted with the comment. 

"No, Serenity," her mothers jaw dropped, "Not *now*, I did something *bad* before! You have to" Dia shuddered, grabbing at her temples as though in pain. Frightened, her mother and father rushed to her side, a dozen worried questions running through their minds. 

"Dia-chan, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Serenity asked, pulling her daughter into her lap. 

"You have to forgive him, Mommy!" it was their little girl speaking again, "He needs you to forgive him... make him GO AWAY!!!" Dia sobbed, hugging her mother tightly. 

"Forgive who, sweetheart?" Serenity asked, concerned to say the least. Over the white plain of their daughter's head, the King and Queen locked gazes. "HIM!" Dia screeched. 

"The Black Moon Killer?" Endymion asked, grasping for some sanity in the situation. 

"No!" Dia continued to wail, "HIM! You gotta forgive him, Mom! He didn't mean it honest! He didn't know better! You gotta FORGIVE HIM!!" Then, in the blink of an eye, Dia was still, her body so overloaded with anguish that she fainted. 

A very worried King and Queen knelt beside Rei that evening as the priestess preformed a healing ritual over their still sleeping daughter. 

"Well, she's not possessed," Rei said hopefully. The monarchs exchanged looks. 

"That's a relief," Serenity mumbled. 

"Far as I can tell, nothing's wrong with her," Rei continued. 

"But she was so upset," Serenity said, "She was crying so hard and oh, tell me she'll be all right!" Endymion supported his wife as she fell back against him, worry for their daughter in both their hearts. 

"It could have been a memory from a past life," the Martian girl mused, "It's very common for child to have them, even up to the age of ten. I'm sure she'll be all right, don't worry about it, Sere." The queen smiled warmly at her friend, but neither she nor her husband ever truly got over the unsettling experience. 

However, nothing truly came of it, much to everyone's relief. Dia had awoken the next morning her usual chipper self, pleading for pancakes and anxious to go outside and play. Still, Endymion filed the incident in the back of his mind, somehow suspecting that it wouldn't be the last of it's kind. 

"Papa?" a little voice interrupted Endymion's musings. He turned from his place on the garden bench, to see Dia standing at the lattice entrance, drenched in moonlight, her violet eyes filled wit innocent love. Her father smiled in relief, his little girl was back to normal. 

"Yes, pumpkin?" he asked, patting the seat beside him. In truth, nothing would give him more joy at the moment than to hold his daughter, but sometimes after the incidents, she didn't want to get close to him for a little while. To his relief, the child climbed up into his lap, gazing up at him with admiration and concern. 

"Is something wrong Papa?" she asked sweetly, hair billowing about her as the wind whipped at their forms. 

"I was just thinking..." he lied badly. Dia shook her white locks, looking as thought she was ready to cry. 

"Are you afraid of me, Papa?" she sounded small and alone, and she looked even more so, dwarfed by his large form and her oversized nightie. 

"No," he said. That was the truth. He was not afraid of Dia, he was afraid of the stranger her saw in her eyes, but never ever, would he be afraid of his little girl. However, what next came out of Dia's mouth shocked him to no end. 

"Sometimes I scare me." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
What exactly is wrong with Dia? 

Who does Serenity need to forgive?  
Will everyone pass their midterms?  
Speaking of the devil-sent tests, when will they be outlawed?  
What happens when you play every Fleetwood Mac song ever created all at the same type?  
Why is it that only men can open pickle jars?  
Will you send me feedback?  
STAY TUNED...


	2. Two

Thanks go to Sakura Girl, April, MK, Susan, Rosegrl and Jadie 

Forgive Me 2a/?  
By Meredith Bronwen Mallory 

Endymion carried his sleeping daughter back into the palace, his mind racing. Dia's earlier confession had shaken him to the core, and there was still much on his mind. Earlier he had been recalling the incident from Dia's childhood, which had been many years ago, and though traumatic, had been summarily forgotten. The passage of years had lulled Endymion into a false sense of security. He had not been prepared for had what happened the previous day. FOUR incidents, in one day, and all of them pointing to a certain conclusion Endymion was very afraid of. 

Laying his eldest daughter beside his sleeping wife and second child, Endymion pulled the covers up around them and turned away, taking a seat in his favorite chair and attempting to sort everything out in his mind. He had not breathed a word of this to Serenity. He didn't want to say anything until he was absolutely sure.... 

Earlier that morning, he had been in the observatory, studying the recently discovered tenth planet of Nemesis Both he and Serenity knew, that with Chibi-Usa's fifth birthday, the events leading up to the Black Moon attack on Crystal Tokyo would speed up dramatically. Thus, the King had thought it best to prepare himself and know as much as possible about his enemies home planet. His dearest Serenity was doing her best to negotiate and divert the war, though they both knew it to be in vain. In fact, the emissaries from the Black Moon were supposed to arrive tonight for a diplomatic reception. 

Some time during Endymion's long hours of staring into the telescope, Dia and Chibi-Usa had run into the Observatory, chattering on about this, that and some such nonsense. The King had been happy to have his daughters keep him company, and listened amiably to their chatter as he continued to take his readings. Eventually, Chibi-Usa, who always had to be on the move, got bored of sitting around and talking, so, Luna P trailing behind her, the little girl had scampered off to find Jupiter's son. Dia remained there silently, watching her father work. Eventually though, she spoke. 

"Papa," she asked, "What are you doing?" 

Endymion turned from his work to look his little girl in the eye, "I'm studying a planet," he explained, "I'm trying to figure it out." 

"What's wrong with it?" Dia asked. 

"Huh?" 

"The planet, what's wrong with it?" The King was startled. He and Serenity had been very careful to keep their conversations about the Black Moon FAR away from their children. How did Dia know there was something wrong with Nemesis? 

"We're not really sure, pumpkin," he responded gently. Dia nodded, eyes faraway and thoughtful. 

"Can I look at it? Please?" she asked. Figuring that it couldn't do much harm to let her look at it, Endymion had lifted her up to the lens and allowed Dia a first had view of the planet. A small gasp escaped Dia's lips, and her posture became rigged. Fearful, Endymion had started to lift her down, but she wouldn't let him. Instead she stared into the lens, unmoving, barely breathing. 

"Kami-sama," she said, her voice distant, "That's it... that's home." Endymion was shocked to say the least. 

"Wha? Sweetpie, your home is here, in Crystal Tokyo," he said gently. 

"No, not *now*," Dia sounded disgusted, "It was home back *before*. I remember it. It's cold there, really cold, and it's always raining ash. There aren't many flowers, and they only have one kind there. The sky is brown and the ground is black. There isn't any grass or stuff like that, just rock. That's where she died." The King's mind was reeling. How could Dia, a seven year old, know the specifics of what Nemesis was like? Of course, everything she said was true... and that scared him. 'She died?', who was Dia talking about? 

"Who died?" he asked, half fearing the answer. 

"The girl I was in love with before I loved the one that was a Queen," Dia said matter-of-factly. 

"Why would you love a girl?" was the first thing that popped out of Endymion's mouth, though he didn't mean for it to sound so prejudiced. Everyone accepted the fact that Haruka and Michiru were a couple, even the children recognized it, but it was another thing entirely for him to hear something like that out of his daughter. 

"Not *now*," Dia repeated, "back *before*. Back when I was a boy." Several minutes passed in silence. The King's world had been completely rocked. But then he felt Dia's body relax, and a giggle echoed in the large room. 

"You can put me down now, Papa," Dia said impishly. Still reeling, the monarch had complied, watching mutely as Dia hugged his leg and scampered off, calling out something about going to the gardens. It was several minutes before the King managed to regain his composure, but he still couldn't figure it out. 

He questioned Dia about it later at lunch, even going so far as to take her out on a picnic with just the two of them, in hopes that she would open up to him. But the girl wanted no part of it, and went on chattering about the new flowers she'd planted. More than willing to pass it off as a fluke, Endymion had let it go, merely taking the time to enjoy his eldest daughter's company. 

But the day was not over yet, and neither where the strange incidents. Since Chibi-Usa had felt left out about not being able to go on the picnic with Dia and Endymion, Serenity had taken their youngest daughter out for a special treat. The Senshi were all out training, and the other children had yet to finish their lessons. This left one very bored Dia wandering the halls aimlessly, looking for something to do. Eventually, she made her way into her father's study. At that moment, Endymion was studying the profile of Prince Demando of the Black Moon, sizing up his advisary, who would be at the reception that night. Dia had come in, pouting because she had no one to play with, and stood looking over her father's shoulder. Endymion had been startled when he saw his daughter's image reflected by the veiwscreen, for it overlapped almost seamlessly with that of Prince Demando. 

"What are you doing?" Dia asked innocently. 

"I'm studying up for the reception tonight, pumpkin," Endymion responded. 

"He did bad things," Dia said solemnly The King turned around to look at his daughter, who was staring fixedly at the image of Demando on the screen, something unreadable in her eyes. She raised her hand to her forehead, touching the delicate crescent moon that rested there. How could she possibly know who Demando was? 

"What makes you think that, Dia?" he asked, almost wishing he hadn't. 

"I know. I was there. He did real bad things." Dia insisted stubbornly, "But if he did real bad things, why did she tell him it would be all right and he could be happy again like Beruche and Petz and all them? And if he did real bad things, why did she hold his hand? Maybe, maybe she just has a really big heart and can forgive anyone. Of course she has a big heart, she's Sailor Moon..." Dia turned away, walking towards the door and mumbling to herself in a far-off, strange voice that did NOT belong to Endymion's little girl. The King stared after her, slack jawed. There was no way she could know about the Four Sisters, or their healings. The bedtime stories he had told to Dia and Chibi-Usa were harmless tales of Sailor Moon's first battles against Queen Metalia. and the Negaverse, not anything that would affect the children directly! Endymion turned back to the screen, his soul staking inside his body. His eyes met with the image of Demando, known as the White Prince. White hair, pale skin, violet eyes. Looking away from the screen, his gaze caught on a picture of Serenity and Dia, taken a few years before Chibi-Usa was born. The King gazed at the image of his eldest daughter. The White Princess, with white hair, pale skin, violet eyes. He felt as though he might be ill as he slammed his fist on the desk. IT COULD NOT *BE*! 

"Muffin?" Serenity's voice asked from the threshold, "Is something the matter?" A great sense of relief flooded through Endymion at the sound of his wife's soothing voice. But that relief turned to alarm when he faced her. She stood in the doorway, Chibi-Usa's hand clasped in her left, and Dia situated comfortably in her arms. The little princess had her arms loosely tied about her mother's neck, her head resting contentedly on Serenity's shoulder. It was from this perch that the girl eyed Endymion with an air of victory and threat. The King knew in an instant that it was not his daughter's gaze he met. The *thing* in Dia's body smiled at him sweetly, and then the moment was gone, and it was his daughter who rested wearily against he mother, energy spent. 

"Endymion?" Serenity asked worriedly. He shook his head to clear it. 

"I'm sorry, Odango, I was just... thinking about something," he said, "So tell me, what can I do for you three lovely ladies?" Chibi-Usa and Dia giggled while Serenity merely flashed her husband a flirting smile. 

"Isn't it about time for us to get ready?" the Queen asked, "The reception starts in an hour." Endymion sighed, ah, yes the reception. Serenity gave him a knowing smile, resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped a possessive arm around her waist. They walked down the hall together, Dia still in Serenity's arms and Chibi-Usa trailing behind. Endymion had a feeling this would be a very LONG night. 

---------- 

The Negotiations were loosing their appeal. 

Serenity and Endymion sat at the head of the table, four Senshi on either side, facing the Royal Family of the Black Moon, and the Four Sisters. The Inners did their best to be polite, but only the four sisters seemed even half way receptive. The Outers obviously had no patience what so ever, even Pluto, but they did their best to conceal it. Demando sat in the middle of his party, staring lustfully at Serenity during pauses in conversation and making NO attempt to hide it. Endymion shot him SEVERAL warning glances, but they were ignored. Esmerude clutched her red fan, pea green with jealousy as she watched Demando watch Serenity. Rubues made no attempt to hide the fact he despised everyone of them, and Saffir looked on indifferently. The Four sisters glanced apologetically at the Inner Senshi. The Neo-Queen grew pale and silence fell once more. Saturn excused herself. 

The Negotiations were not going well. 

Demando stated his requirements for the treaty, and it was obvious even he knew they were ridiculous. Serenity made every attempt to compromise, but none of them would have it. Demando continued to devour Serenity with his gaze. Esmerude looked as though she was barely restraining herself from hitting something, most likely the Neo-Queen. Rubeus and Uranus held a starring contest over a bowl of soup, and Saffir yawned rudely. The Four Sisters sweatdropped. The Inner Senshi glanced amongst themselves worriedly as the color fled from Serenity's face. The Neo-Queen began to look pale, and Endymion held her hand under the table. This did not go unnoticed by the White Prince, who looked as though he was barely restraining himself from blasting something, most likely the King. Silence ensued as Pluto excused herself. 

The Negotiations were going down hill fast. 

Endymion and Demando shot each other looks of hatred as the Neo-Queen kept a death grip on her husband's hand. Under the table, Saffir's hand was physically restraining Esmerude from attacking Serenity with her fan, all the while looking very bored. Uranus held Neptune's hand in an attempt to calm herself as she and Rubues continued their silent war. The Inner Senshi sweat dropped while the Four Sisters glanced worriedly from monarch to monarch. 

The Negotiations were becoming a nightmare. 

Demando undressed the Neo-Queen with his eyes. If the White Prince did that ONE more time, Endymion swore to himself, he was going take him outside and let him have it. Serenity was as white as the dress she wore. Venus and Mars glared at Demando angrily as they glanced between him and their Queen. Mercury inquired at least three times if Serenity was feeling all right. Jupiter pushed her food around her plate as she mumbled curses under her breath, hand clutching a napkin that was scrunched up beyond recognition. Cooan and Calaveras raised their eyes to the heavens, pleading. Beruche looked at the Neo-Queen in concern, her gaze shifting between the monarch and Prince Demando. Petz put her elbow on the table and rubbed her temples. Neptune excused herself and all but drug Uranus from the room. For her part, the Senshi of wind looked ready to pounce on Rubues and strangle him. Esmerude threw her fan down and stormed from the room, quickly followed by Saffir, and then Petz. 

The Negotiations were a disaster. 


	3. Three

Forgive Me 3/?  
By Meredith Bronwen Mallory 

The Black Moon emissaries stomped angrily from the dinner hall. Even Prince Demando was fed up, though mostly with King Endymion. However, kind to a fault, the Queen was doing her best to prevent an all out war. It wasn't working. Standing behind her supportively, the four Inner Senshi did their best to hide their disgust. They were GLAD the Black Moon family was leaving. Frankly speaking, the Four Sisters looked just as eager to leave. The group had almost reached the doorway, when a voice stopped them. Clattering down the marble steps came one very upset Dia, red in the face with anger. 

"Mother..." she whined, "Chibi-Usa took my doll and she says she won't give it back and... tell her that she MUST give it back, Mom!" Dia stood on the seventh step from the landing, nearly red in the face. She went on, "Mom, Chibi-Usa is always..." then she stopped. Endymion watched in horror as the color fled from her face and her posture became stiff and ridged Her hands fell to her sides and she locked eyes with someone across the room. 

That someone was Demando, who had turned to see who had caused the disturbance. Silence fell over the room, so complete and suffocating that you could have heard a pin drop. No one moved, no one breathed. Esmerude's mouth was agape as she stared at the child and her Prince. At such a close range, not seeing the resemblance between the two was impossible. The White Prince and the White Princess stood there staring at one another, when Dia raised her chin just slightly, as though answering a challenge. The two continued to stare, while Endymion watched slack-jawed, Serenity turned a shade lighter than white and the Inner Senshi gawked. Then Chibi-Usa came running down the steps, shouting at the top of her lungs: 

"Whatever she says I did, Mom, I swear I didn't DO it !" Then she too stopped abruptly The young princess looked between Demando and Dia, then back again. "Um, Dia?" she tugged on her sister's sleeve. Dia would not look at her, "Do you.. want your doll back?" Nothing. No response what so ever. But something must have happened, because suddenly Dia's violet eyes filled with tears and she broke away from Demando's gaze. A large 'whoosh' filled the room as everyone let out the breaths they'd been holding. 

But it wasn't over yet. You could almost *feel* Demando's sense of triumph as he gazed on the subdued child. Then, suddenly, Dia sprang into motion and rushed to her mother's side, hugging one of her legs tightly. To the Inner Senshi, who stood to the left of the Queen, it looked as though the Princess had buried her face in her mother's skirts. But Endymion stood at the right, and he saw Dia's face as she looked at Demando, still hugging her mother's leg. Dia's smile was acidic and sickly sweet all at once, and again she and the Prince locked gazes. Whatever passed between them must have been important because made Demando go positively ashen, and he quickly stormed out of the room, followed by Esmerude, Rubues, and for very confused Sisters. 

As soon as Demando was out of sight, Dia began to shake. Worried to say the least, Serenity knelt beside her daughter and gave her a hug, rocking her gently as she tried to decipher what had just taken place. 

"Dia?" the Queen asked as she smoothed her daughter's hair, "What's wrong, what happened?" The little girl didn't answer, she merely whimpered and continued to shake, staring over her mother's shoulder . Endymion followed her gaze, to see Saffir, still standing at the doorway, looking at Dia with an expression of pure horror. The King wasn't the only one who noticed this. 

"Kami-sama.." Mars whispered. Her eyes rolled back, and Jupiter barely caught her as she went down. Saffir took that as is cue to leave, rushing from the room in a blur of blue and white. Now Dia began cry in earnest, burying her face in her mother's gown. serenity could only hold her daughter and look up at Endymion with an expression of pure worry on her beautiful face. 

-------- 

Endymion looked up from his musings, feeling more worry than when he began. Mars had refused to speak to him about what she'd seen, and Serenity felt only worry for their eldest child. Of course, she didn't know of the other things that had happened that day, and indeed, it seemed his wife was blind to the looks of hate Endymion occasionally received from Dia. 

Without warning, a huge flash of light rocked the palace to it's core, shaking the crystal beams in their moorings. Endymion looked up in fear. The flash was followed by another, and another, and each time the ground shook harder than before. Chibi-Usa bolted from sleep and began screaming. 

"What's going on?" She looked around wildly, hiding under the covers when another flash occurred The palace shook, and Serenity sat up abruptly. She was wide awake as she looked at her husband, sitting across the room, a look of terror on her face. Propelled by their link, Endymion rushed to her side and put his arms around her. She buried her face in his shirt as he rocked her gently. The King fought down the wave of hatred towards the White Prince that was currently washing over him. He watched as Dia sat up, wide awake as well. She looked out the window as the flashes came more quickly each moment, disapproval and something like self-hatred in her violet eyes. 

The screams of the dying floated up to the palace from the city below, and sirens began to wail. Serenity pried herself from her husband's embrace, and in her crystal blue eyes Endymion saw the strength and determination that had made her such a wonderful Senshi. 

"We have to go," Serenity said as she stood, "Oh, Endy this is all my fault!" The King shook his head. 

"No it's not," he said, placing his hands on his wife's shoulders, "You did everything you could to prevent this..." The Queen nodded, and a look passed between them. Without another word, they hurried from the room, their footsteps joining those of the frantic Senshi and panicking staff. 

Chibi-Usa continued to cower under the covers while Dia rose from the bed and went to the window, her eyes cold as she gazed out at the ensuing destruction She placed a fist against the cool glass, body stiff with hatred. Another, much powerful blast ensued, and sent Chibi-Usa flying from the room, screaming as her Luna P trailed behind. Her older sister seemed not to notice as she stood there, looking so beyond her mere seven years. Eventually, her eyes softened and she looked down, hugging herself as she shivered. 

"This is all my fault," she whispered to no one, "All my fault. She'll never forgive me, never ever." She cried silent tears, gazing at the Black Moon ships, illuminated against the dawn. It was grim future indeed. 

-------------- 

Later the King, Queen, and eight Senshi stood in the tactical room, discussing strategy, all of them worn and weary, baring the length of their lives on their deceptively young faces. 

"At least the palace shields are still up," Mars considered, "At least we have something to work with there." Neptune nodded grimily. The attack had come without warning, though now the Senshi realized that years of peace had made them more than a little lax. The debate went on; Where could they even begin their offensive, how much longer could the shield hold up, and what were they to do when it could no longer function? Uranus struck her fist against the table in frustration. 

"MAMA! PAPA!" Dia rushed in the room, white hair flying about her face, eyes wild with fear, "Chibi-Usa is gone! I can't find her anywhere! What if she went outside? Oh, Kami-sama, I can't find her!" Serenity's blue eyes filled with horror, and without another word, she fled the room, calling for her youngest child. Dia and Endymion raced after her, followed by the Inner Senshi. 

Like all hell was at her heels, Serenity rushed out into the courtyard, heedless of her own danger, searching for her youngest daughter. Chibi-Usa stood at the bottom of steps, wailing at the top of her lungs. She ran towards he mother as soon as she saw her, thankful to find a sanctuary in the sea of uncertainty. The others entered just as Chibi-Usa reached the safety of her mother's arms, only to bare witness to a scene they would never forget. With the speed of a hawk swooping in for the kill, a deadly green mist swept over the city, covering those still alive with it's shadowy death. Another blast occurred, this time too close to the palace for comfort. The force of the blast threw reached Serenity and her daughter, throwing them both backwards. The Queen was dashed against thewall like she was nothing more than a rag doll. Endymion ran to her side, but it was to no avail... she did not open her eyes. The cloud of gas raced towards the palace, and the Senshi knew what they had to do. Uranus wrenched the King away from the Queen, the surprise of her actions aiding the ease at which they were completed. While Endymion wrestled to free himself from Haruka's grasp, the Inner Senshi surrounded the body of their fallen Queen. Pluto pulled Chibi-Usa away, whisking her off to the time-gate, disappearing in a flash of black smoke. Dia watched, eyes filled with sadness, as the fibers of quartz wrapped themselves around her mother. Endymion froze, pushing Uranus off as he gazed at the crystal now imprisoning his love of three lifetimes. 

"No!" he cried, looking at the Senshi with betrayal in his eyes, "What have you done? SERENITY!!!" 

----------- 

The palace was still, Crystal Tokyo was in ruins, the Senshi were emotionally and physically wounded. Their leader lay sleeping in her crystalline coffin, and the King was too overwhelmed with grief to function. The poisoned gas was seeping through the weakened shield and into the breathing air. They all knew they would succumb before long. Rei stood in the shadows of the main hall, watching Endymion, tears spilling from her eyes in silent pain. The King stood beside the slab of quartz, his hand pressed against the heavy rock as though he hoped to reach Serenity somehow. Rei shook her head... the future was in shambles, only Chibi-Usa, safe in the distant past, offered any hope to the weary Senshi. Minako entered from the foyer, her blue eyes filled with pain as she gazed on her King and Queen, the grieving man and the corpse of the woman he loved. They knew not if she was still alive within her prison. 

"King, please," she said venturing closer, "Your wounds, you must allow Mercury to treat them!" Rei watched the color flood from Minako's face as the King looked on her with dead eyes. 

"No, I will stay with Serenity," he said softly. The Venusian Senshi looked about to say something else, but Endymion turned from her roughly, fixing his eyes on Serenity. "Leave me." he ordered. Always obedient, Minako curtsied and left, a flurry of blond hair and short orange skirts. Somewhere in the palace, a lonely little girl had begun to cry. Knowing Endymion was too filled with grief to offer his daughter any type of comfort, Rei hurried down the hall. 

All around, the vibrations of death and pain resonated in the halls of the palace, nearly choking Rei. She paused at the door to Neptune and Uranus suite, tears forming yet again when she saw they had already succumbed to the poison. Haruka lay still, as though sleep, with her head in Michiru's lap. The aqua-haired woman's head lolled against the back of the couch they rested on. Rei watched as Hotaru flew past her and into the room, searching for her adoptive parents. The Senshi of Saturn let out a sob of pure pain when she saw her parents. She rushed to their side, shaking each in turn. 

"Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama! Please, open your eyes, wake up, don't leave me!" Hotaru cried in earnest But her pleas were lost on her sleeping parents. Unable to watch anymore, Rei turned and fled. Why was it that everywhere she turned she was met with pain and death? Where was the bright, sun filled Crystal Tokyo of only yesterday? Somewhere down the hall, the child continued to cry. 

Further down the hall, Rei saw Makoto leaning in the threshold of her son's room, holding a stuffed toy she recognized as belonging to the little boy. The tall amazoness'' eyes were filled with pain as tears streaked silent paths down her cheeks. 

"Mako-chan," Rei began, voice filled with sympathy. 

"Why?" the Jupiterian Senshi asked, "Why did they do this... the people, the children, my little boy, all innocent..." Through the open doorway, Rei could see the little boy, laying still on the bed, covers pulled up around him as though he was sleeping. Her eyes went back to the boy's mother, her friend, who hugged the stuffed toy harder, as though she wasn't sure whether to be filled with grief or rage, "Bastards," Makoto went on, her voice taking on a hard edge, "Evil bastards... how could they do this? Don't they have a conscience? Any human compassion at all?" Rei started to go to her friend, but a gentle hand on her shoulder stopped her. 

"Let me," Ami said, blue eyes filled with compassion, "Dia needs you." Rei nodded silently, watching for a moment as Ami went to embrace her friend in a gesture of support, then she turned and hurried towards the Royal Suite. 

She found Dia sitting on her mother's side of the bed, dressed in one of her father's old shirt's and hugging a bunny that belong to Chibi-Usa. It would not have surprised the priestess in the least to know that Dia had purposely gathered the items belonging to her family, seeking comfort in the familiar. 

"I want my MOMMY!" Dia wailed uncontrollably She had yet to even register Rei's presence. Slowly, the Martian Senshi approached the little girl, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder, taking a seat beside her on the bed. 

"Oh Rei-chan!" Dia cried, instantly hugging the woman, "I'm so sleepy and scared and, and and... is my Mommy dead?" Rei's heart broke at the look in the child's violet eyes. She pulled her strength and took a deep breath. 

"We don't know, sweet pea, but we hope not," she replied. Dia only hugged her harder, wailing into her Senshi fuku. Rei merely smoothed the girl's white hair, as she had seen Serenity do many times before. Dia pulled away, laying back against the pillows. 

"I'm so tired, Rei-chan," she said, her lids slipping closed. The Martian woman's heart clenched NOT DIA TOO!! Her Queen in a coma, the grief stricken King, a little pink haired demon hiding away in the past... All those that Rei loved and vowed to protect were leaving one by one. Suddenly, Dia grabbed Rei's hand with surprising strength. 

"He's going to die soon," the child whispered, "Pray... pray for him please." Then her breathing slowed and her eyes closed all the way, her grip on Rei's hand relaxing. Rei couldn't fathom what the child meant. 

"Mars," a commanding voice interrupted her musings. she turned to see Endymion standing in the doorway. His eyes were hard and cold behind his mask, and the priestess felt a chill snake it's way up his spine. "Come, the other Senshi need you... there are things to be done." All she could do was nod, then the King was gone. Rei shuddered, recalling the look in Endymion's eyes. He was out for blood. Specifically? Demando's.


	4. Four

Forgive Me 4/?  
By Meredith Bronwen Mallory  
mallorys-girl@cinci.rr.com 

Hey Minna-chan! How are you? Here's the next part of this little fic, please let me know what you think! Hope you enjoy. 

Meredith 

Ps. thanks to Sakura Girl (my pre-reader) and Anon (my partner in obsession ;-) 

------- 

For the first time in nine months, birds sang in Crystal Tokyo. Sleepy citizens awoke from their long sleep and opened their windows, letting in the scent of roses, carried by the warm wind. Slowly, slowly, the bustling hub of a city returned to life, like the first flower poking it's petals out of the snow. In the crystal palace, the four inner senshi released each others hands and stepped away from the crystal, letting the shield fall. A little boy stirred in his sleep and awoke, rushing down the hall and into his mother's waiting arms. Makoto held her son tightly, crying tears of joy. Hotaru opened her eyes to find Haruka and Michiru smiling down on her. She threw her arms around each in turn, smiling as Haruka lifted her up onto her shoulders and, with Michiru on her arm, lead the small family out onto the balcony to gaze out on the day. Somewhere in the royal suite, a child opened her violet eyes and looked at the world. 

Endymion watched as the quartz that encased his love broke apart, dissolving into nothing. Neo-Queen Serenity took a deep breath, pulling sweet air into her lungs. Slowly, she opened her blue eyes to find her husband smiling down at her, tears on his cheeks. 

"Endy..." she whispered, smiling. He helped her to sit up, wrapping his arms around her small form and rocking her in his embrace. 

"Kami-sama, I missed you so much, Sere," he whispered in her ear as he held her close. His Queen pulled back far enough brush her fingers lightly against his cheek, and the King felt the rage and loneliness that had encased his heart melt away as though it had never been. 

"I love you," Serenity told him, her voice pure emotion. 

"And I love you," Endymion brought his lips down on hers, relishing the touch. After nine months of sleepless nights, endless hours of worry, moments of terror followed by those filled with grief... at last the King felt whole again. 

Neither of them saw the little figure hidden behind the purple draperies. Neither of them saw the hatred burning in the depths of her violet eyes as she looked on the king. 

------ 

If King Endymion had hoped that with the defeat of the Black Moon family, Dia might return to normal, he was sorely mistaken. Once again, the King found his heart filled with worry for his eldest daughter. It had been almost a year since the Black Moon crisis had ended, and life had returned to what passed for normal in the thirtieth century. Chibi-Usa had come and gone, now back in the past training to be a senshi. Kip, Makoto's son, had been sent off to a private academy, leaving Dia as the only child at the Crystal Palace. But that fact didn't seem to bother Endymion's eldest daughter, who took more delight in her own company, and that of her mother's, than anyone else these days. 

The King sighed, looking away from the window to glance over at his wife, who was sitting at the table, in the middle of heated and playful discussion with Minako. Dia sat in her mother's lap, watching her father with narrowed eyes as she sucked on her thumb. The look she gave the older man was one of pure contempt, and Endymion turned away, pain in his heart. He was no stranger to these looks, they were common place now. The incidents occurred more frequently now, and with frightening clarity. 

The first had been the night after Serenity had been revived. As the clock in the grand hall struck midnight, a piercing scream lanced through the air. It was Dia. Half dressed and even less awake, Serenity and Endymion had rushed to their daughter's bedchamber t find her thrashing wildly about, the sheets tangled around her small body. She was shouting in a language neither monarch knew, and crying in her sleep. The Queen had rushed to her daughter's side, rocking the little girl in her embrace until her cries ceased and she looked up at her mother with tired eyes. With relief, the couple had tucked their daughter in for the night, but their relief faded when Endymion caught sight of her back. One of the buttons on the back of Dia's nightgown had come undone, revealing something dark on the girl's back. Worried, he's unbuttoned the rest of the buttons, only to find that his daughter's entire back was charred and covered with large, black scars. Serenity had screamed, bombarding the little girl with a hundred questions. What had happened? Did it hurt? Why hadn't she told her parents about it? In a very serious voice, Dia informed them that, no, she didn't know what happened, and hadn't even known it was there until just now. Scooping his child up in his arms, Endymion had rushed towards the medical wing, waking the doctors at one in the morning to inspect Dia's wounds. Even Ami couldn't fathom what had happened. There was no physical cause for the blistering flesh, in fact, all the scans showed the skin to be perfectly healthy, when the naked eye attested otherwise. All medical knowledge failing, the worried parents sent for Rei, hoping that the medium could find an answer in the spiritual. But the senshi of Mars would have no part of it, and informed but monarchs quite bluntly, well aware that she was bordering on the edge of mutiny. Sometime around five in the morning, the very weary King and Queen of Earth sent their daughter back to bed, and retired to their own sleep with worry in their hearts. 

The next morning, Dia awoke with yet another bruise, this time on her forehead. Only Endymion noticed that, if you looked at it in the right light, it was the exact shape of an upside down black moon. 

Every night since then, Dia woke up screaming bloody murder. Most of the time she was too shaken to relate any of it, barely possessing enough energy to shove her thumb in her mouth and crawl wearily into her mother's lap. But, once, while Serenity was away in France, averting a diplomatic crisis, Endymion had been the only one to offer his daughter comfort. The child had looked at him with those unfamiliar eyes, suspicion in their depths, when he asked her to tell him what she dreamed about. 

"I dreamed about *before*," she said softly, almost to herself, "I dreamed about when I died and went up to the blue." 

"You *what*?" Endymion said in shock. The little girl looked at the ground, hands folded in her lap. 

"When I died," Dia said seriously, looking her father square in the eye, "The man that killed my brother, he comes and says he will kill her, and I jump in front to save her. Then I get hit and fall down and go up to the blue." 

"You... you don't have a brother, Dia," was all the King could think to say. Dia looked sad as she replied. 

"No, I don't." Then she laid down and closed her eyes. 

It hadn't been the last Endymion had heard of Dia's mysterious 'brother'. Shortly after Chibi-Usa returned to the past for her training, Makoto and Kip left for a prolonged vacation on Jupiter. This left Dia with no one to play with, save Hotaru, who, truth be told, had never been as close with the princess as she was with Chibi-Usa. It was pure chance that while wandering in the rose garden, Endymion had overheard his daughter talking to herself. Or rather, that had been what he'd first thought. But, peering through the hedge, Endymion saw that this was not so. Dia stood by the orchids, having plucked one and raised it to her nose. She was addressing her otouto. 

"Otouto-chan," she'd said softly, looking at the flower, "I have lots of pretty flowers. You would like them, there are so very many!" She then went on to talk about 'back before, when there weren't any flowers,' and how she wished he could see them now. The King's breath had caught in his throat, though he tried to rationalize that Dia was probably only playing a game, the tone she had used resonated in his mind. Ever since then, every once in a while, Endymion would catch her talking to Otouto-chan, mostly about flowers, and the happy times they'd has 'before'. But, occasionally, she would talk about how she missed him because he 'died and went up to the blue' and was 'someone else now.' Each time, Endymion felt a shiver go down his spine. He knew though it was his daughter's voice, Dia wasn't the one talking. 

The King knew Dia was changing, and he didn't like what he was seeing. No longer was his daughter a happy, carefree child. Now she seemed sad, weighted by guilt and plagued by nightmares. She rarely smiled, and only did so when her mother was around. Indeed, she wanted nothing to do with her father, and shunned him at all costs. Often she seemed angry with him for no reason. Eventually, even the oblivious Serenity knew something was amiss, when Dia took down her odangos and refused to wear the hairstyle anymore, instead tying her hair back with a single piece of string. Only her parents refusal kept the child from chopping off her long white locks. Endymion shook his head from his musings. He had his suspicions... Kami-sama help them them all if he was right. 

Later that evening, Serenity came out on the balcony and stood beside her husband. Knowing she needed comfort, he placed a possessive arm around her waist and held her close. 

"Endy," Serenity said at last,her eyes fixed on the moon, which hung low in the sky, "Something... I'm worried about Dia. She's so sad all the time." 

"I've noticed, but I don't know what to do," the King replied, hating the helplessness he felt. Serenity turned in his arms and tied her own loosely about his neck, resting her head against his chest. 

"Maybe she's lonely?" Serenity suggested. Endymion said nothing. He still hadn't spoken to her about the incidents, and had no intention of doing so. Though he wanted to tell her badly, something always stopped him, as though this was something he and Dia had to solve. "I mean, she and Hotaru have never been good friends, and Kip is off at the academy... she really doesn't have anyone to play with or talk to, does she?" 

"No," Endymion replied, his hands absently stroking his wife's golden locks. 'Accept otouto-chan' he added silently. 

"Do you think Pluto would let us send her to the past? Maybe if she gets to spend sometime with Chibi-Usa, she'll feel a little better." Serenity suggested. Endymion hugged her tightly. 

"Serenity, you're a genius!" he declared, spinning her around until she shrieked. Setting her back on her feet, he looked into her eyes and smiled. Though he doubted Chibi-Usa could solve Dia's problems, there was someone else in the past that might... Mamoru, his previous incarnation. Perhaps his past self could see something he himself couldn't. After all, Dia wasn't *his* daughter... yet anyway. 

"Do you really think it will help?" his wife asked. 

"I really do," the King replied. With a sigh of relief, Serenity hugged him tight. 

The dawn of the next morning found Dia and her mother waiting outside the King's study while Endymion had a 'word' with Pluto. In truth he was relating to her all the incidents that had occurred in the past eight years, from the moment he frist held Dia, to her nightmares and conversations with 'otouto-chan' now. The green haired woman nodded slowly, curiosity in her crimson eyes. The King wanted her to be able to help should any problems arise in the past. At last the heavy marble doors opened, allowing Endymion and Pluto to enter the hall. Serenity stood beside Dia, who looked like she'd just finished throwing an unsuccessful tantrum. The child looked on her father with an expression thatt clearly said 'this is all your fault.' 

Then Pluto offered her hand, which Dia took. 

"Bye Mama," Dia waved with a hopeful smile. Serenity smiled back bent down to hug her daughter. As the Queen stepped away, the child's violet eyes focused on Endymion, "Papa," she said coolly. 

"Come, Dia-chan, it's time to go," Sailor Pluto said, raising her time staff. The silver rod struck the floor, and in a flash of black smoke, both where gone. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
How will Usagi and Mamoru react knowing they have ANOTHER daughter?  
What is this 'trouble' mentioned?  
Just WHAT is wrong with Dia?  
FIND OUT NEXT TIME!!! 


	5. Five

Forgive Me 5/?  
By Meredith Bronwen Malllory  


mallorys-girl@cinci.rr.com 

AN: This part of the story takes place between season S and SS. I don't know if anything happens in between, so I'm just going to settle for a little peace... until our favorite Princess arrives, of course ;-) 

Ps. Thanks again go to my wonderful pre-reader Sakura! 

--------- 

The sun shone lazily down on the fives figures currently engaged in a volleyball game. Some ways away, the blue ocean crept up to the sandy beach, only to retreat again. Usagi and her friends were enjoying the peace afforded to them at last. 

"Look out Minako!" Ami said as she hit the ball back across the net. The blond girl dove for it, but only managed a face full of sand as she tripped over a seashell. 

"Minako!" Rei admonished, "You're almost as bad as Usagi-chan!" 

"Take it back, Rei!" the odango-ed girl ordered, blue eyes flashing. 

"No!" the fiery priestess replied. In a huff, Usagi turned on her heel and marched back over to the blankets where her very handsome boyfriend (an: the author isn't opinionated at all, is she? ;-) sat, nose buried in a text book. Some ways away, Chibi-Usa played in the ocean, hunting for seashells when the tide went out, then scampering away when the waters moved back in. She was safely in sight of both Usagi and Mamoru, who kept a watchful eye on her. 

"Mamo-chan," Usagi said, coming up behind her boyfriend and draping her arms about his shoulders. She kissed his ear, effectively distracting him, before she continued, "Please come play with us," she pouted, "The teams are uneven and Rei-chan is SO mean..." The man shut the textbook and closed his eyes. He knew he was fighting a loosing battle, but he wasn't about to admit it. 

"Usako," he said warningly. Usagi merely giggled and pressed her lips to the base of his neck. Mamoru groaned, she was working her magic... again. 

"Please," Usagi pleaded, crawling into his lap looking up at him with adorable puppy eyes. 

"Alright, Usako, alright," he said in defeat, setting the book aside so he could wrap his arms around her. He could see that she expected him to kiss her full on the lips, and he smiled inwardly; turn about was fair play. Waiting until she closed her gorgeous blue eyes, he planted a quick kiss on her nose, then pulled her to her feet. 

"Mamo-chan!" the blond rabbit cried in frustration. 

"Later," he whispered in her ear, his breath warm on her neck. Usagi practically purred in delight. 

"Are you two coming or not?" Rei asked impatiently. Usagi gave her a look of death and hurried over towards the net, dragging her boyfriend with her. 

"You can be on our team, Mamoru-san," Makoto offered, gesturing to the side she shared with Minako. Nodding, Mamoru took his spot and prepared to serve to Usagi. As the white ball flew though the air, Usagi dove for it, hands outstretched. 

What she expected was a handful of volleyball... what she got was an armload of squirming little girl. A white cloud had appeared in the sky, and the little girl falling through it had been conveniently deposited in Usagi's arms. 

"Eek!" Usagi cried, surprised, dropping the child as she fell backwards. Both landed smack dab on their butts. The others stared slack jawed at yet another little girl who had fallen from the sky. The girl climbed to her feet, dusting off her pure white dress, and pulling her ivory hair out of her face. But before anyone could say anything, Chibi-Usa was running at her in a flying tackle/hug that did her mother proud. 

"DIA-CHAN!!" the two connected, and the little girl once again found herself on her butt, in the sand, with a lap full of enthusiastic Chibi-Usa. The pink haired girl threw her arms around the stranger and hugged her tight. 

"Chibi-Usa," Usagi said, being the first to regain her composure, "Who is this?" 

"Gomen, Usagi-chan," Chibi-Usa said as both girls climbed to their feet, "Minna-chan, this is my sister Dia." 

"Your...sister?" Mamoru asked in a choked voice. "Uhuh." Usagi and Mamoru exchanged furtive glances, then blushed as the rest of the senshi tried without much success to keep from giggling. Dia, having dusted herself off, marched up to Usagi and offered her hand. 

"It's nice to meet you, Usagi-mama," she said sweetly. Usagi's eyes widened as she shook her future daughter's hand. She knew that Chibi-Usa preferred to think of her as a sister, and not her mother's past incarnation. Obviously the sweet little girl who's hand was now clasped in her own didn't have that problem. Usagi found herself smiling, then kneeling to hug Dia. 

"It's nice meet you too!" she said. Mamoru watched all this silently, noting that Chibi-Usa actually looked a little jealous. Pulling back, Usagi moved aside, expecting Dia would want to greet Mamoru as well. But the child merely stood there, glaring at the young man. Mamoru found himself uncomfortably nervous under Dia's scrutiny, and looked her straight in her violet eyes. The pure hatred he saw there in almost made him take a step back. Then it was gone, and Dia merely curtsied politely and mumbled something like: 

"Konnichiha, Mamoru-san." The senshi were taken aback. After Dia's affectionate greeting for Usagi, they would have thought Mamoru would receive the same... 

"Dia-chan, come play in the ocean! It's so fun!" Chibi-Usa said enthusiastically, grabbing hold of her sister's hand and pulling her towards the sea. Dia offered no resistance, and soon both were running towards the water. Usagi shrugged helplessly, and eventually they went back to their game. 

The sun rose high in the sky, beating down relentlessly as the group decided to retire to the shade for lunch. 

"Dia-chan! Chibi-Usa-chan!" Usagi called as Makoto brought out the picnic basket. Mamoru took his seat beside her, wrapping a possessive arm around his girlfriend and kissing her hair. The children came scampering up from the ocean, stomachs growling. Ducking under one of Usagi's arms, Chibi-Usa took a seat in her lap, eyes wide as Makoto pulled a big cherry pie from the basket. The pink haired child's face fell when she saw Dia, who stood over her, hands on her hips, as if to say, 'excuse me, that's MY seat'. Eyes down cast, the little girl vacated Usagi's lap for a seat beside Ami, allowing Dia to take her place. Mamoru watched all of this with interest, but Usagi seemed not to notice, her eyes fixated on the plate of rolls Minako was passing around. 

"Um, so Dia, what brings you here?" Rei asked as she took a roll and passed the rest on. 

"Well, Kip's at some big fancy academy, and there's no one to play with, so I came to visit Chibi-Usa," Dia took her thumb out of her mouth long enough to remark. It would seem that being in Usagi's lap made the child very sleepy. 

"How long can you stay?" Chibi-Usa asked excitedly. 

"Only a couple a days, maybe a week. I don't want to be a problem," Dia said softly. 

"Oh it's no problem!" Usagi remarked cheerfully. Everyone, including Mamoru, looked at her strangely. The Champion of Love and justice had never been all that enthusiastic about Chibi-Usa's presence, mostly because she and the little girl always seemed to be fighting for Mamoru's attention. 

This was not so with Dia, they could see that as Usagi hugged the child in her arms. Dia for her part seemed happy as a clam, sitting in the blonde girl's lap and munching on a roll. 

Eventually the girls went on to talk of other things, but Mamoru found himself unable to concentrate on the conversation flowing around him. Once, Usagi had told him that she sometimes felt hurt that he and Chibi-Usa were so close, and that she felt left out. He'd assured her that Chibi-Usa loved both of them equally, but now he wondered if this was how she felt. Then he glanced down at Dia, only to find her looking up at him, something unreadable in those strange violet eyes. He shivered, and tried to tell himself that it was jealousy making him see things. '_Then why does she make you so nervous?'_ his intuition asked. Mamoru looked at the child and realized it was true. 

Almost immediately, Mamoru had felt the balance of power shift with Dia's presence. Things now felt out of control, not a sensation he was particularly fond of, to say the least. And, as much as he hated to admit it, the fact that Dia was sitting in Usagi's lap made him very uncomfortable. What was more, he felt like he'd met the little girl before... she looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it... "May we be excused, Usagi-mama?" Dia's voice interrupted Mamoru's thoughts, focusing his attention back on the here and now. 

"Of course, sweetie," Usagi said, "Have fun!" 

"We will," Chibi-Usa declared, climbing to her feet and grabbing her older sister's hand. The two hurried back to the ocean, the hem of Dia's skirt dragging in the water. Usagi watched them play for a minute, before turning back to Ami and continuing their conversation. 

The ocean turned a brilliant deep purple as the sun sank into it's depths, signaling the end of a fun day at the beach. Five worn senshi, a prince incarnate and two equally exhausted children made their way up the winding beach road t the parking lot, carrying their things with them. Mamoru, who carried Chibi-Usa on his shoulders, walked with his arm around Usagi, who held Dia's hand. The other hovered near by, laughing and giggling quietly Feeling Dia tug on her hand, Usagi looked down to see the little girl had reached into the folds of her dress to reveal a very pretty seashell, which she held in her cupped hands, offering it to Usagi. 

"Is this for me?" the older girl asked. 

"Hai," Dia nodded, looking down. Carefully, Usagi took the shell from her, holding it up and admiring it in the light. 

"It's very pretty, sweetie," she said at last, "thank you!" Dia smiled happily, looking up at Usagi with unabashed adoration. The older girl bent down and scooped Dia up, carrying the child on her hip. Mamoru watched all this from the corner of his eye, trying to focus on Chibi-Usa as she chattered away. 

"Minna-chan," Usagi said suddenly, "I just thought of something, where is Dia going to stay?" The girls all exchanged wondering looks, then all eyes fell on Mamoru expectantly. The young man could feel Dia's eyes on him, and glanced over to see that she was almost begging him not to offer. He would never know exactly what possessed him, for he quickly replied; 

"She can stay with me, it's really no problem!" Dia was glaring at him hatefully now, though the others seemed not to notice. 

"Are you sure, Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked sweetly. Mamoru flashed her a killer grin, tightening the arm around her waist. 

"Don't worry about it, Usako." This caused quite a chain reaction. His girlfriend giggled and blushed a bit, Chibi-Usa's hold around his neck tightened just a little, while Makoto, Ami and Minako got all starry eyed. Rei made a gagging noise and Dia intensified her hateful glare. 

"Hey, guys!" Rei said, "Look there's Yuuichirou's car, time to go!" 

"Rei-chan," Minako said slyly, "You didn't tell us that Yuuichirou was picking us up." 

"Yes, Rei," Makoto winked annoyingly, "Just said a 'friend'." 

"Oh, boy, I *knew* this was a bad idea!" Rei exclaimed. Ami came up and put a hand on the fire senshi's arm. 

"Oh, don't worry about it Rei," she said reassuringly, "I think it's sweet!" "Oh, not you too, Ami!" Rei sighed in defeat. Yuuichirou managed to stop the car (just barely mind you) and the girls hurried over to load up their things. 

"See you in the morning, pumpkin," Usagi told Dia as she gave the child a kiss on the forehead and handed her to Mamoru. Chibi-Usa allowed the older girl to lift her from Mamoru's shoulders and place her on the ground. 

"Bye, Usagi-mama," Dia said sweetly, not looking to happy with her present company as she watched Usagi and Chibi-Usa hurry to catch up with the others. 

Mamoru watched them go still holding Dia. The little girl began to squirm, and turned to face him. Gasping, Mamoru looked at the child in shock. Earlier, he'd noticed a bruise on her forehead, but now that he saw it up close... it looked like a black moon! 

"Please put me down, Mamoru," Dia grumbled angrily. Mamoru complied, setting the child on her feet and offering her his hand. Seemingly disgusted, Dia looked at the offered hand, then stubbornly clasped her own behind her back. '_Okay.._'. Mamoru thought, feeling less at ease with the child with each passing moment. Silently they walked towards his car, but Mamoru could feel her eyes on him the whole time. 

-------- 

He was trying, you had to give him credit for that much. But the child sitting directly across from Mamoru was making *quite* clear that she wanted nothing to do with him. They were sitting at the dinner table, having gotten back from the beach a little less then a half an hour again. Since then, Dia had spoken less than five words to him. 

"Is your food alright?" Mamoru asked, trying to fill the silence. Dia looked up at him, then back down at her bowl of noodles. 

"Yes, it's fine, thank you," she said, before shoving another spoonful in her mouth and chewing thoughtfully. Silence filled the room once more, so intense and complete that Mamoru could hear the ticking of the kitchen clock. 

"Did you have fun at the beach today?" he asked. 

"Yes, Mamoru-san," Dia replied politely, evenly. Mamoru shook his head, wondering exactly what he'd done to earn the child's acute dislike. He stared at Dia, who stared right back at him, seemingly unshakable. 

Or not. It would appear that Dia was not as passive as she painted herself to be. Mamoru watched her as she fidgeted on the couch, her gaze shifting from the window, which showed the darkening sky, and the clock, which read 8:10 p.m. When they first arrived home, the sun had just begun to set, but now, it was almost completely gone, and it had not escaped Mamoru's attention that, the closer it got to being completely dark, the more nervous Dia became. 

"Do you want me to close the shades, Dia?" he asked from his place in his favorite chair, textbook in hand. 

"I'm fine, thank you," Dia replied politely, once again looking at the clock. It was 8:30 p.m. The man watched as a shudder ran down the girl's frame. 

"You don't seem fine," he remarked. 

"I'm *fine*, Mamoru-san," Dia said as she shot him daggers of death. Then she promptly shoved her thumb in her mouth and looked at the floor. Ten seconds later, Mamoru caught her looking at the clock again. 

----------- 

Then fall of night transformed Dia from a passive, cold girl, to a child on the verge of tears. As the last rays of light faded from the sky, the girl became a bundle of nerves, jumping at the slightest noise or shadow. Mamoru decided he'd never seen such a jittery child in all his days. And when he finally closed his physics book and told her it was time for bed, she looked like she was about to have a heart attack. It was obvious that his presence was the only thing keeping her from bursting into tears. As he sent her off to the bathroom with a pair of Chibi-Usa's pj's, Mamoru swore he heard her mumble; "I want my Mama." "Goodnight, Dia," Mamoru said as he tried to tuck the little girl in. She beat him to it, and promptly rolled over. That's when he saw it. Chibi-Usa's pj's where absurdly small on the older child, and the shirt gapped at her belly. But it also afforded Mamoru a view of her back, which, to his shock and dismay, was covered with black blisters and scars. "Dia, who did this to you?" 

"Don't know," she said curtly. 

"Do your parents know?" 

"Yes." 

"What's wrong?" 

"Don't know." 

"Does it hurt?" 

"No." Mamoru turned away from the little girl, frustrated with her curt answers and her attitude. What did he ever do to her? When he turned around to close the door, though, his heart melted. There she lay, dwarfed by the cot and the quilts he'd given her too sleep with. She'd pulled the blankets up to her neck and was clutching them with such force that her knuckles turned white. But what tore at Mamoru's heart the most was the fear in her violet eyes... he'd never seen such terror before in his life. 

"Dia, are you all right?" he asked. 

"I'm fine, thank you," she lied badly. Shaking his head, Mamoru turned off the light, expecting Dia to at least close her eyes. But she didn't, she stared fixedly at the clock on the opposite wall, wide awake. "Aren't you going to go to bed?" he asked. Dia merely looked at him and shoved her thumb back in her mouth. 

"Aren't you a little old to be sucking on your thumb?" Mamoru asked, unable to think of anything else to say. In response, Dia only made exaggerated sucking noises, still starring directly at him. "Goodnight, Dia," he said finally, frustrated. Returning to the kitchen, he glanced at the clock. 9:10 p.m. He contemplated calling Usako, but decided against it, knowing her father would have a fit. Thus he returned to his comfy chair and opened his physics book. The hours flew by as Mamoru absorbed himself in memorizing the text. Only when the kitchen clock rang midnight did he even look up from the page. That's when the screaming started. Frightened, Mamoru rushed down the hall and into Dia's room. He found her thrashing about in bed, her face contorted in pain. 

Dia screamed in her sleep, "DON'T KILL HER!!!"


	6. Six

WARNING: All those used to great doses of WAFF may need to be prepared (on the advice of my pre-reader) this is NOT Waff. It's intense (NOT THAT WAY, Kendell) , and that's all I have to say ;-) 

Without further adodo... FM6 

Forgive Me 6/?  
by Meredith Bronwen Mallory  
mallorys-girl@cinci.rr.com 

"DON'T KILL HER!!" Dia screamed in her sleep, her small arms thrust in front of her as if to ward off some kind of blast. Mamoru looked at the expression of utter terror on her face for a split second, before he gently took hold of her hands and tried to wake the screaming child. "No! Don't..." Dia's cries dissolved into tears as she opened her violet eyes. For the first time since the child had arrived, Mamoru saw her for what she truly was... just plain scared. Terrified out of her wits to be more precise. 

"Dia-chan, are you alright?" he asked cautiously, watching as her expression went from one of horror, to one of infinite sadness. She laid back down and cried into her pillow, inconsolable. Unsure of what to do, Mamoru gently rubbed her back as Dia's body shook with the force of her weeping, waiting for the sobs to subside. They did not. It seemed the child had an endless number of tears. No amount of reassurance broke the shroud of grief wrapped around her. Finally, knowing if Dia cried much longer, she'd make herself sick, Mamoru gave in and phoned Usagi's house. He got lucky, for it was her sweet, and sleepy voice that greeted him on the other line. 

"Moshi Moshi?" Usagi asked groggily. 

"Usako, gomen for calling so late, but..." he began, but the Odango-ed one wouldn't let him finish. 

"Oh, Mamo-chan, don't worry about it!" Usagi declared happily. Then her voice grew more serious as she asked, "Is something the matter?" Mamoru sighed. 

"Yes, actually," he replied, taking the remote phone back into Dia's room, where the child was still sobbing. "It's Dia, she woke up from a nightmare and I can't get her to stop crying..." 

"Let me talk to her," Usagi said with soft command in her voice. Sometimes it gave Mamoru the creeps, how much she could sound like a mother, like a Queen, when she was only sixteen. Obediently, Mamoru took a seat on the bed and held the phone to Dia's ear. 

"Sweetie pie?" he heard Usagi's voice say. The change was miraculous and instantaneous; one minute Dia was a screaming bundle of grief, and the next she was silent, listening intently to Usagi's voice over the phone. 

"Mama?" the little girl asked sleepily, sounding very lost and alone. The sound tore at Mamoru's heart. 

"No, baby, it's Usagi." said the other girl, her voice soft and gentle. 

"Gomen, Usagi-mama," Dia sniffled, rubbing her runny nose and trying to regain her bad composure. 

"Did you have a bad dream, Dia?" Usagi asked. 

"Hai, I did. I dreamt I died and went up to the blue," Dia's voice was low and serious, her eyes taking on a faraway look that frightened Mamoru to some extent. It was almost as though... it wasn't really Dia speaking. He tried to shake the thought off as paranoia, but it stayed with him insistently, as though there were something important he couldn't quite make out. 

"It was only a dream," Usagi assured the girl gently, "Now get some rest, I'll see you in the morning." 

"Thank you," Dia sniffled a little, snapping back to reality, "Gomen again." 

"Don't worry about it pumpkin," Usagi said, "Sweet dreams." Then the other line clicked off, and Dia laid her head down on the pillow, her body relaxing in pure exhaustion. 

It took Mamoru a moment to realize that she was still crying, but the tears were silent now as she stared off into space. Gently, he stroked her hair and tried to soothe. A bit of jealous flared in him, it had been so easy for Usako... why couldn't Dia accept him? The child shuddered under his hand and scrunched into a little ball. The man willed himself to be patient. 

"Dia," he adopted a soothing tone of voice he often used with Chibi-Usa, "What's wrong?" 

"I died and went up to the blue," the child moaned. 

"It was only a dream, Dia," Mamoru said, perhaps a bit more patronizingly than he'd first intended. Now she lashed out at him, striking his hand as he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. 

"NO!" she raged, "NO IT WASN'T!! It wasn't a dream, I died and went up to the blue!" tears filled her violet eyes, "I *died*." Well, what was he supposed to say to that, pray tell? Somehow, maybe it was the way she looked at him, and maybe it was the way her whole body shook, how she clutched the sheet with such force that her knuckles turned white... he knew she was telling the truth. 

"Tell me about it?" he offered, scooting closer. This time the little girl offered no resistance and allowed him to slip a comforting around around her. She snuggled in the warm sleeve of his sweater and shook her head. 

"It's all my fault," she whispered at length. She was looking up at him, staring at him, as though studying him. 

"What's all your fault?" he asked, astounded by the guilt he saw etched so irrevocably into her features. 

"I... I don't remember," Dia admitted softly, her eye lids drooping. She laid her head down on his knee, and Mamoru could feel her breathing become steady, her body relaxing for the first time in several hours. "You're so much like my Papa," the child said. Mamoru looked down at her, but all he could see was her head, covered by the mane of stringy white. Her next confession came softly, so that he had to strain to hear it, and it knocked the wind out of him. 

"I don't know why I hate you." 

---------- 

There had never been a little girl so happy to see Usagi, Mamoru thought dryly as he watched Dia run up to his girlfriend and throw her arms around the older girl's neck. Usagi's arms were wide open and waiting, and she hugged the little girl back. Chibi-Usa, who sat comfortably situated in Mamoru's arms, watched the scene with something approaching jealousy, Mamoru could see it in her ruby red eyes. 

"Hello, Dia-chan," Usagi said as she lifted the girl up and rested her against her hip, "How are you today?" 

"Great!" the girl replied from where her head rested comfortably against Usagi's chest. 

"Bye Mom! Bye Shingo!" Usagi called into the house as she closed the front door and made her way towards Mamoru's black hot rod. Ever the gentleman, he held the car door open for her, and allowed her to get Dia and Chibi-Usa situated before climbing in himself. They spent the drive in companionable silence, Chibi-Usa or Usagi occasionally breaking it with their light chatter. Mamoru glanced back at Dia through the rear-view mirror, his mind flying back to the night before. The little girl had fallen asleep promptly after her shocking revelation, and all Mamoru could do was cover her up and wish her sweet dreams. 'I don't know why I hate you', what was THAT supposed to mean? No matter how many times Mamoru turned it over in his mind, he always came up with the same thing... nothing. Zip, zilch, natal. Dia was a complex puzzle, and Mamoru was no closer to solving it than he'd been the moment he first met her. 

At the stop light, Mamoru rested his elbow on the steering wheel and rubbed his temples. 

"Mamo-chan? Are you alright?" Usagi asked as she laid a hand on his shoulder, eyes filled with loving concern. 

"Hai, Usagi, I'm fine, just tired," he replied, flashing one of his killer grins and watching as his girlfriend melted. It wasn't REALLY a lie, Mamoru tried to rationalize. He *was* tired, but he was not fine. He'd thought the night's terrors to be over once Dia settled into sleep, but he had been *very* wrong. He'd returned to the living room, cleaning up before finally seeking out his own rest. What he found was something that rivaled his dreams of Usako's death. 

He found himself in a small clearing, surrounded by mist and trees. In the center of the clearing was a statue of someone he knew. It took him a few minutes to realize exactly who it was, and then, his blood boiled. Demando, the White Prince, ruler of the Black Moon and keeper of the Dark Crystal... tormentor of his beloved Usako. It didn't slip his mind for one moment that the Prince had kidnapped Usagi and... thoughts stopped there as cold rage filled Mamoru, Demando had tired to force Usagi to kiss him (and probably more had Tuxedo Kamen not arrived) against her will. It was something that, in Mamoru's mind, was unforgivable. There he stood, facing a life-size statue of his hated (granted dead) rival, which seemed to be made out of stone. All was silent in the clearing, until the sound of childish laughter filtered through the air. Four children scampered out of the forest and into the clearing, and Mamoru recognized nearly all of them. One, was Dia, her white hair flowing about her in a wild cloud. The second was Chibi-Usa, Luna-P in tow. Hotaru, former Sailor Saturn followed the pink haired girl, and just behind her came a young boy, perhaps a year or so younger than Dia. They were laughing and talking happily, frolicking in the mist that worked so well for hide and seek. None of them noticed the statue, or, if they did, none of them cared. 

A sudden feeling of danger filled the young prince, and Mamoru started to go forward and warn them... something, something about the statue. But a strong hand on his shoulder stopped him. 

"No, you mustn't. You are only an observer, Mamoru-san," a voice said. The young man was fairly certain he recognized the male voice, but he couldn't place it. So instead he turned his attention back to the children. Dia had wandered away from the others, and now the mists hid her from the rest of her party. Chibi-Usa must have noticed this, for she began calling out to her sister. The others soon followed the suit. For her part, the white-haired princess was making her way slowly, and obliviously towards the statue. Finally she saw it, and stood stiff as a rod, staring up at it was some amount of awe. She took a tentative step fowards. '_NO!_' Mamoru cried out in his mind, '_Don't!_' But Dia didn't hear him, she continued walking towards the statue. Mamoru watched in horror as Demando himself appeared from the shadowy depths of the mist, approaching his daughter. Dia's attention switched from the statue to the real thing, and Demando reached out offering her his hand. Dia looked up at him cautiously, and finally put her small, delicate hand in the Prince's large one. Just then, Chibi-Usa came running through the mist, and saw them. She let out a scream, and suddenly, the ground began to shake. Hotaru grabbed Chibi-Usa and they fled, followed by the boy, but Dia and Demando stood still, looking at each other strangely. Behind them, the statue's eyes glowed red, and from the quaking ground a thorn bush rose, black and terrible towering above Dia and the Prince. Demando dissolved from view, and Dia screamed as the thorn bush engulfed her, entangling her in it's web. Trapped like a fly in the spider's nest, Dia raised her head and looked straight at Mamoru, her violet eyes filled with hopelessness. 

Tearfully, she pleaded with the young man, "Help me." 

He'd woken up covered in cold sweat, his breathing ragged, paternal fear in his heart. The dream had been so vivid and real that Mamoru had rushed down the hall and into Dia's room, only too find her sleeping safely under the blankets. And yet Mamoru had a feeling she was teetering on the edge of something... 

"Mamo-chan?" Usagi's worried voice shattered Mamoru's reverie, and the young man looked at his girlfriend with love in his eyes. She'd saved him again, even if she didn't know it. 

"Hai, Usako?" he asked. 

"We're here silly!" Usagi said, gesturing to the mall in front of them. Indeed they were. Mamoru parked the car, mentally shaking his head as he prepared himself for at least four hours of 'shop til you drop'. He didn't know why he'd agreed to come with Usagi and her friends, but he had. Glancing at the Odango-ed goddess who sat beside him, he knew exactly why. He'd wanted to spend more time with her, relish the peace while they had it. 

"Usagi-baka!" Chibi-Usa shouted, reaching forward in an attempt to bop the older girl on the head. Okay, relative peace, anyway. Mamoru was about to scold Chibi-Usa, when Dia beat him to it. 

"Usagi Iuko!" she looked at her younger sister, thoroughly scandalized, "How DARE you speak to our mother like that!" Chibi-Usa blushed and looked down, seemingly ashamed, as Mamoru and Usagi looked on, shocked. "Apologize at ONCE!" 

"Gomen, Usagi-chan, gomen," Chibi-Usa said, for once not even bothering to argue. 

"Um... th--thank you, Chibi-Usa," Usagi said, struggling for her composure. Mamoru watched and Chibi-Usa nodded, looking a little upset, until Dia placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled kindly. 

"Gomen, Chibi-Usa, I was too cross," Dia said softly. Her sister nodded, and seemingly all was forgiven. Still, silence ensued as the foursome climbed out of the car and made their way through the warm spring morning and into the mall. Dia latched onto Usagi's hand, happily trotting along beside her, while Chibi-Usa walked stiffly beside Mamoru. Feeling bad, Mamoru picked her up and set her up on his shoulder, delighting in her giggle. 

The senshi were waiting for them when they arrived at the food court, standing around and managing to look impatient and bored all at the same time. 

"Hey, where were you guys?" Rei asked, stomping her foot impatiently. 

"Gomen," Usagi said sheepishly, "traffic was a nightmare." Rei opened her mouth to make some comment, but Minako interrupted. 

"Usagi-chan, there's a sale at the shoe store, we HAVE to go!" she said excitedly. 

"Oh, yes!" Usagi said clapping her hands together excitedly. Mamoru put a hand to his forehead as Makoto and Rei jumped into the conversation, then even Ami. It was going to be a very LONG day. 

The next four hours consisted of Mamoru following six enthusiastic hurricanes as they went through every remotely feminine store, demolishing everything in their path (or at least, it seemed that way to him). Chibi-Usa was just as excited as the five senshi, bugging Mamoru ever five minutes for a toy, or a treat. As for Dia, she seemed perfectly content to trot alongside Usagi and hold the older girl's hand, her big violet eyes watching everyone and everything with a strange intensity. While the girls paused to devour some pastries at a near-by shop, Chibi-Usa began to bug Mamoru for ice cream. 

"Please, Mamo-chan..." she batted her ruby red eyes pleadingly, "Pretty please," she tugged on his pant leg. With a much exaggerated sigh, he gave in. 

"Alright, Chibi-Usa," he said with a smile. "Usako," he turned to the young odango sitting next to him, "I'm going to go get some ice-cream with Chibi-Usa, you want any?" Usagi looked up for her place of the bench, Dia in her lap. She was engrossed in her cinnamon roll, alternating between feeding the sticky treat to herself and the little girl. 

"Oh, no, I'm almost full," she declared happily, a frown crossing her features when Rei made some comment about her eating habits. "This is really good, Mamoru," she informed him, holding out a little section she'd broken off, "Here, have some." Ceasing the opportunity, Mamoru opened his mouth and let Usagi drop the little scrap him, managing to kiss her fingers before they escaped. Usagi giggled and blushed becomingly, while Makoto, Ami and Minako sighed. Off to the side, Chibi-Usa and Rei made gagging noises. Mamoru shook his head, they were quite a group. His smile faded, however, when he looked down at Dia, who was munching angrily on her section of the cinnamon roll and glaring at him hatefully. Hoping perhaps that Dia felt slighted for her sister, Mamoru bent down to eye level and asked; 

"Would you like some ice-cream too, Dia?" The young girl looked at him suspiciously through her white bangs. 

"Not particularly, Mamoru-san," Dia replied, looking at him as though he had just offered her poison, and not frozen sugar. Mamoru was taken aback by the coldness in her voice, and looked up to see if perhaps Usagi had noticed this time. But no, she and Rei were engaged in a raging tongue war, and Usagi hadn't heard a thing. The young man swallowed hard, then took Chibi-Usa's hand and headed off towards the ice-cream stand. He could feel Dia's eyes on him the whole time. 

"Oh, Dia you have to see the fountain!" Chibi-Usa declared sometime later, talking to her sister from her perch on Mamoru's shoulders. Dia looked up from her place beside Usagi, her violet eyes narrowing. 

"What so special about a fountain?" she asked. 

"It's a WISHING fountain," the pink haired child spoke in a stage whisper, "Plus, it's really pretty!" Apparently her sister enthusiasm was convincing, for Dia reached up and tugged on Usagi's sleeve. 

"Usagi-mama," she said once she had the older girl's attention, "Will you take me and Chibi-Usa to the fountain?" Usagi seemed to think on this for a moment, when Minako broke in. 

"Usagi, weren't we going to go look at some Manga? It's in the opposite direction of the fountain." 

"Hai," Usagi said with a frown, "I know! I'm sorry, Dia-chan, but Mamoru and the girls will take you to the fountain, how's that sound?" Dia nodded respectfully, but as soon as Usagi turned away, her face gave away exactly how she felt about some members of the little party. Letting go of Usagi's hand, Dia watched the older girl walk off with Minako, before reluctantly following Mamoru and the other senshi. 

"You really should see the fountain," Ami said quietly, "I hear they put an ice sculpture up in the middle." Makoto scoffed: "All this fuss about a dumb fountain!" 

"Well, it is pretty," Rei said, "And there have been people who say they can see things in it.. visions." Makoto's brown eyes narrowed speculatively, but she let it go. 

"Didn't Lony Leni design the sculpture?" the blue haired inquired. Rei's violet eyes flashed happily. 

"Yeah, I remember her! She did design it... all her work is so romantic!" the priestess said. 

"Yeah..." all heads turned to see Makoto staring dreamily off into space. The other two senshi exchanged knowing glances. 

"There it is!" Chibi-Usa cried from her high perch. Sure enough, in the middle of the open area, stood a huge fountain. It was layered several times, with little waterfalls that ran down from the very top point, on which stood a romantic ice sculpture of a couple suspiciously resembling the Earth Prince and Moon Princess. Mamoru smiled, Loni always kept to her themes. 

"She's pretty," Dia spoke for the first time since parting ways with Usagi. Her violet eyes were riveted on the moon princess, her hair down and flowing about until it met the water, seemingly becoming one with it. 

"Yeah, she is," Mamoru agreed quietly. The little girl made a disgusted noise and hurried to the edge of the fountain. Mamoru felt Chibi-Usa tug none too gently at his hair, and took the hint, setting the child down so she could join her sister. 

"Wow, it is pretty," Makoto breathed appreciatively. The other two girls merely let out sighs of delight. 

"Can we have some pennies to through in, Mamo-chan?" Chibi-Usa pleaded. 

"Sure," he replied, reaching into his pocket for the coins. He handed ten to Chibi-Usa, then moved to give the same amount to Dia. He stopped when he heard Ami and Rei gasp. Dia was leaning over the edge of the fountain, staring deep into it's mysterious fathoms, her violet eyes wide as she reached out with a tenative hand to touch the reflection, a sound of pure awe escaping her throat. But it was not her actions that stunned the senshi so, or caused the horrified expressions on their faces. Leaning over Dia's head Mamoru saw a something he would never forget. It was not Dia's reflection that stared out from where it should have been, but rather that of someone else. 

Demando. 

------------------  
I have one word for you, ladies ;-) BWAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!!!


	7. Seven

Hey there Minna-chan. Next part of this disturbing little story is coming your way. I'm kind unsure about how people will feel after reading this chapter... there are a lot of revelations. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!! ;-) 

Thanks,  
Meredith 

Forgive Me 7/?  
by Meredith Bronwen Mallory  
mallorys-girl@cinic.rr.com 

Mamoru tried to breathe, but found he could not. Demando gazed out at him coolly from the surface of the water, right where Dia's reflection should have been! His gaze moved from the prince to the child leaning over towards him, a single delicate hand outstretched, her eyes trusting and innocent, yet somehow mature and knowing... just like in his nightmare! Chibi-Usa must have seen the reflection too, for she gave a little frightened whimper, but where the senshi and Mamoru drew away from Dia, the little pink haired child moved just a little closer, though fear dominated her ruby eyes. Then something changed. What it was, Mamoru would never know, but suddenly Dia's eyes changed from awe to loathing, and with much more force than needed, she slammed both hands down on the water, effectively destroying the image. 

"GO AWAY!" she cried turning swiftly, white hair and skirts flying. 

"Dia..." Chibi-Usa began, but the older girl wanted no part of it. She was desperate in her flight, and pushed her sister out of the way. 

"Out of the way, Rabbit!" she shouted, scurrying away, leaving Chibi-Usa to stare after her from her place on the floor. Mamoru stared to go after Dia, but soon realized she'd already stopped running. 

"Whoa there," a young woman gently took hold of Dia's shoulder, effectively stopping her escape. Looking closely, Mamoru realized with a start that it was Peggy Jones, one of the Rainbow Crystal carriers from so long ago. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" 

"I...I..that is, um," Dia just shook her head, finally giving up on coherent speech as she wiped the tears from her eyes. 

"Peggy-san, fancy meeting you here," Ami began nervously, finally regaining her composure. Mamoru merely stared, his mind reeling. 

"Oh, hello!" Peggy said brightly, her brown eyes smiling. "It's nice to see you again, Ami-san, Rei-san, Mamoru-san." She returned her attention to Dia, who was trying desperately to stifle her sniffles. "Did you see my fountain?" 

"Hai," Dia replied respectfully, "The statue, it's very pretty." "Why thank you," the other woman replied, "You know, they say this fountain is magic. It's supposed to show your true eflection," Dia nodded slowly, her violet eyes fixed on the woman. 

"That's not too good for some people," the little girl replied, biting her lip. Peggy chuckled a little, shaking her head. 

"You're a very wise little girl," she smiled. 

"Hai, but only sometimes." Dia said. Peggy patted the girl's back, then checked her watch. 

"Oh, my!" she cried, "I'm going to be late! It was nice meeting you," she smiled down at Dia, "Good to see you again, Mamoru-san!" she said as she hurried past. 

"Ja ne!" Mamoru managed, just barely. Once again the senshi and Mamoru found themselves alone with the little girl. The young man bent down to help Chibi-Usa, who hadn't moved from the floor. Dia just stood there, looking at the floor, her long white locks partially hiding her face. The others could only stare at her incredulously, wondering what in the world was going on. Mamoru was the first to gather the remains of his composure, and he took a tentative step towards the little girl. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a car, staring death straight on, paralyzed. Her violet eyes darted heavenward, seeking a savior, a sanctuary... 

Then she saw her way out. 

"USAGI-MAMA!" quick as a flash, Dia darted past Mamoru and ran to Usagi, who'd only just rounded the corner with Minako, their arms full of Manga. 

"What's wrong, Dia?" Usagi asked, looking at the little girl's tear stained face. She quickly handed her load to Minako and picked the child up. Dia merely bit her lip and stared up at Usagi. The older girl frowned, reaching with her free hand too touch the bruise on Dia's forehead, as though she'd just noticed it, "Did you hit your head, sweetcake?" The child in her arms nodded enthusiastically, eager to find a scape goat. She looked back at Mamoru and the senshi, as though expecting them to contradict her, but they did not. It was as though they had made a silent pact to never let their princess know. 

---------- 

Mamoru watched Usagi and Dia with increasing worry. The little white-haired child hadn't moved from her place in Usagi's arms since they'd left the mall, and she was still settled there comfortably as they walked through the park. He could tell it was making the other senshi nervous as well, save Minako who had yet to be filled in on... whatever it was that happened. But there was something else floating about in Mamoru's heart, along with the worry, something he recognized, and was ashamed to admit. He was jealous. Terribly, terribly jealous of the little girl who had her arms tied to possessively around Usagi's neck. Why should he be jealous? Dia was a little girl, Usagi's *daughter* as well! He remembered how silly he'd thought Usagi to be when she'd admitted she was jealous of Chibi-Usa. 

'She gets more of your attention than I do!' Usagi had said bitterly, tears in her eyes. At the time Mamoru had chuckled lightly and wrapped his arms around her, assuring her that, yes, he did love her as he kissed her neck and temple. 

He didn't find it so amusing anymore, and apparently, neither did Chibi-Usa, who watched the pair through narrowed eyes. But there was something more there as well, Mamoru knew, something beyond Dia... He shuddered, realizing exactly what it was that made him *that* jealous. Demando. The long dead White Prince had something to do with this, with Dia, and *that* was what made Mamoru jealous. 

"Hey Naru! Umino!" Usagi called out, startling Mamoru. She waved to her friends from school, setting Dia on her feet so she could run over and visit with them. Dia watched the older girl go, then walked over to a near by bench and took a seat. She sat there, head down, staring down at her hands. 

"What's going on?" Minako asked, a little too loudly. Ami hushed her and pulled her aside to explain. The blond senshi's eyes grew wide, and she looked at Dia fearfully. There they stood, confronted with things they weren't prepared for, and could not comprehend. Finally, Chibi-Usa removed her hand from Mamoru's and walked towards her sister. Mamoru started to go after her, but Dia's voice stopped. 

"Ne, Chibi-Usa, I don't think they want you near me," Dia said tearfully, rubbing at her nose. Her little sister looked back at the others, who stood frozen still, waiting to see what she would do. Slowly, Chibi-Usa approached the bench and took a seat beside the other girl, putting a gentle arm around her sister. Dia sniffled a bit more loudly and hugged Chibi-Usa back. "Do you hate me now?" 

"No, I don't hate you," Chibi-Usa replied gently. 

"I'm scared." 

"Dia... it'll be all right. I don't know what's wrong, but it'll be all right," the child assured her sister. Dia nearly hugged the life out of Chibi-Usa in return, long white locks mixing with short pink ones. 

"Thank you, Chibi-chan," Dia pulled her hair away from her face and smiled at her sister, "I'm sorry I called you a rabbit. Even if you do kinda look like one." 

"I do not!" Chibi-Usa tried to hide her smile, pretending to be insult. 

"Sure you do," Dia reached a delicate finger to poke a pink odango. 

"Take it back, Dia!" 

"Nahu," the white-haired girl giggled. Chibi-Usa smiled fiendishly and reached one of her little hands to grab the little golden pin Dia wore on her dress. "Hey, Mama gave me that! Give it back!" 

"You'll have to catch me first!" Chibi-Usa was off and running down the hill, towards the playground, with Dia at her heels. The senshi and Mamoru watched them go, eyes wide. 

"Are you sure it was his reflection?" Minako asked as they took a seat, keeping a close eye on Chibi-Usa and Dia, who had abandoned their chase to play on the swings. 

"It couldn't have been anyone else!" Rei exclaimed, "It set my alarms off, I'm tell you." 

"Mine too," Mamoru said quietly, "It was so much like the dream..." 

"What dream?" Makoto asked. The young man looked up, locking eyes with each senshi in turn before proceeding to tell them about the dream, as well as the incidents from the past two days. When he was finished, they all struggled to pull their jaws off the ground. 

"What do you think is going on?" Minako asked. 

"I have no idea!" Mamoru said in frustration, "I just know it involves Demando... and that frightens me." 

"But he's dead," Ami put in quietly, "A year and four months dead if you want to be picky about it." 

"That doesn't always matter," Rei said, "As you well know." 

"What do YOU think it is, Rei?" Makoto asked. The fiery senshi didn't have a chance to reply, as Usagi rushed by, calling out for Chibi-Usa and shouting about how late she was. 

"Bye, Mamo-chan!" she said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek, "Bye Minna-chan!" A whirl of golden locks, Usagi turned back towards the playground, "Come ON Chibi-Usa! Mom is gonna kill me! Bye Dia!" she blew the little girl a kiss before grabbing a huffing and puffing Chibi-Usa's hand and dashing off towards the exit. 

"Tornado," Minako shook her head. 

"Hurricane," Mamoru corrected her. The others laughed nervously, their gazes resting on Dia, who now sat by herself on the swing set, moving back and forth distractedly. 

"You know, she could be possessed," Rei suggested quietly All eyes turned to her. The fiery priestess shrugged and stared off thoughtfully. 

"By Demando?" Makoto asked skeptically. 

"You're right, it does sound a little off, doesn't it?" 

"Whatever it is, Dia is in danger... I, I can't let anything happen to her!" Mamoru said, rubbing his temples. The girls nodded sympathetically. 

"If you're really that worried about her, Mamoru, there is something we can do," Rei began. The young man looked up at her, interest peeked. 

"OH!" Ami cried quite suddenly, blushing. The others all looked at her, but soon understood. It had begun to rain. At first it was a little drizzle, but it quickly became a down pour. 

"Come on," Rei said, "we can finish this at the temple!" 

"Dia! Time to go!" Mamoru called out, then stopped short. The little swing once occupied by his daughter was empty, moving back and forth on it's own as the rain continued. 

"Where'd she go?" Minako asked worriedly. 

"She was just there a second ago!" Mamoru exclaimed. 

"We'll split up and look for her," Rei said decisively. The other nodded and hurried off in separate directions. There were only so many places a little girl could hide in a park. 

"DIA!" Mamoru called as rounded the corner. Another little playground sat situated in the bushes, but it, like all the others, was unoccupied. Fear gripped his heart... this was so much like the dream! In his mind he saw Chibi-Usa's eyes filled with fear as she called out to her sister... the look on Dia's face as she gazed up at Demando, the image of her small hand, so trustingly put in the White Prince's large one... 

"DIA!!!! Come on, this isn't funny! Please, sweetie, answer me!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. The wind blew harshly through the deserted park, pelting raindrops harshly against the young man's form. Turning on his heel, Mamoru headed back down the path. The other senshi were waiting for him by a tree, worried expressions painted on their faces. "Any luck?" he asked, already knowing the answer. All four shook their heads. 

"The park isn't that big..." Ami said, "Do you think someone might have...?" 

"Kami-sama, where is she!" Makoto let out. 

"Is there any place we haven't checked yet?" Mamoru asked. The senshi shook their heads, save Rei. 

"We didn't check the left path," she replied. 

"Why would she go down there?" Minako asked, "That goes to the graveyard!" Mamoru locked eyes with Rei and they both nodded. Together the five ran down the muddy path, stopping only when they came to the wrought iron gate that marked the little cemetery 

Sure enough, there was Dia, standing with her fingers laced in the iron working of the fence, oblivious as the wind and rain whipped her tiny form without mercy. 

"Dia?"Mamoru asked. For the third time that day, Dia turned her tear stained face towards the young man, violet eyes filled with pain. "Don't wander off like that again!" he said without thinking, rushing towards her. He stopped when he saw the bruise on her forehead clearly. It was more pronounced then ever... from several feet away, you could tell exactly what it was; a black moon. 

"Let me try," Rei said, putting a hand on Mamoru's shoulder supportively, before going to the young girl and squatting beside her. "Why did you run away Dia?" the child didn't answer, but turned back towards the grave yard, eyes fixed on something in the distance. 

"What's that?" she pointed towards one of the graves. 

"That's a gravestone, Dia," Rei replied evenly. 

"No," the child shook her white locks violently, pointing her finger lower, towards the wreath of flowers someone had laid beside their loved one's resting place. 

"It's wreath." 

"Why?" 

"Why what?" 

"Why is it there?" Dia asked absently, still staring at the flowers. Rei shook her head in puzzlement "Some one who loved that person very much just wanted to let them know they cared," the raven haired priestess replied. Dia nodded slowly. 

"Can I do that?" 

"For who?" 

"My Otouto-chan. He likes flowers," Dia said softly, brushing some hair away from her face. Rei looked back at Mamoru helplessly. He shrugged his shoulders and frowned. He knew for a fact that Dia didn't have anymore siblings Chibi-Usa had told him so. Suddenly, Dia turned to Rei and grabbed the other girl's hands desperately. 

"I'm scared," she cried, "I... It's all my fault and I'm so so scared!" Rei looked at the girl with kind eyes, smoothing the matted hair away from her face. 

"I think we can help you, Dia," she said carefully, "But I need you to trust me. Do you trust me?" The priestess offered Dia her hand, and the white haired girl looked at it hesitantly Slowly, she put her tiny hand in Rei's, watching as the older girl's fingers curled around her own. 

"Yes, I trust you," she said softly. 

"Good," Rei smiled, "Now lets get out of this rain." 

-------- 

By the time they arrived at the temple, lightening was ripping the sky to shreds, heralded by crashes of thunder so powerful they shook the windows. Usako must be a basket case by now, Mamoru thought worriedly. He knew how much she hated storms, and longed to put his arm around her. But there were matters that needed attending, and unfortunately, it seemed Usagi mustn't be involved in it. Now they sat in the main room, the shutters closed against the storm, and the red curtains drawn. The fire burning in the center of the room was the only light, casting shadows on the walls with it's dusty gold light. Dia eyed each of these shadows suspiciously, as though she suspected each one of wrong doing. 

"Ready?" Rei asked from the doorway. She wore her traditional robes, the red fabric making a 'tish' noise as it brushed on the wood floor. The assembled group nodded slowly, each of them wrapped in blankets, their clothing soaked through. "Well, she's definitely not possessed," the priestess whispered to Mamoru as she took a seat. The young prince raised his eyes. 

"Then... what?" he whispered back, even though Dia was off in her own little world, staring into the fire and muttering to herself. 

"I want to do a past life regression," Rei replied. A rippled of surprise emanated from the other senshi, and Mamoru drew back slightly. "Don't worry," the Martian woman assured him, "It won't hurt her. There's probably a memory of some sort manifesting itself in a negative way. Most children have trouble separating past life memories from those related to their current state... it's quite common. That's what I'm thinking it is, since Dia is eight, and the memories are very common up to the age of ten. Though," here Rei paused thoughtfully, "You need to be prepared for what we might find there..." 

"What are you suggesting, Rei?" Mamoru asked fearfully. The priestess met his gaze head on. 

"I'm just saying that delving into past lives is dangerous. Some of our own experiences in the Silver Millennium aren't exactly things we enjoy being able to remember. They shape the way we live today, even if we'd rather not admit it." 

The others looked down, seeing the truth in her words. Ami's fear of relationships steamed from the memory her failed one with Zoicite. Born of the need to protect her princess, Makoto's aggressive nature showed through more often than not. Years of experience she remembered, but did not have, aided Rei with her psychic skills. Minako's need to feel loved also came from the Silver Millennium Even Mamoru and Usagi, who's memories were mainly happy, were also not uninfluenced. Usagi's fear of storms, for example, and Mamoru's protectiveness of her were both carried over from their past lives. 

"You're sure it's not dangerous?" Makoto asked, glancing at Dia, who sat comfortably on a large cushion, the only piece of furniture in the room. Rei nodded. 

"Alright," Mamoru said, "Let's get on with this." He was afraid that the longer he waited, the more he would have time to think about the consequences Best to dive in head first. 

"Dia," Rei said softly, laying a hand on the little girl's shoulder. The child looked up, violet eyes shining with tears "I want you to lay down and relax," Dia obeyed, her breathing becoming steady. "Now close your eyes," the priestess when on, "I'm going to describe a place to you, and I want you to try and see it in your head, alright?" 

"Okay." Dia's voice was soft, and faraway. 

"You're in a long hallway, and there are lots and lots of doors all around you. Each door will take you to a different place, a different person you were before you were Dia. Can you see it?" 

"Yes." 

"You've done this before, haven't you?" Ami asked. Rei nodded, lowering her voice. 

"A friend of grandpa's, her daughter had a fear of water," she replied, "It was so intense I started to think it might have been ingrained in a past life. That was the first time I did this, but I've done it four more times as well." The priestess turned away then, directing her attention back to the child. 

"Alright, now, I want you to walk down the hallway, look for a door that makes you hurt. Tell me when you find it, but don't open it yet." There was silence for a few minutes, until Dia let out a little moan. Mamoru drew back, the bruise on her forehead was no longer a bruise, but a full fledged black moon! And yet... it wasn't the only thing there, it overlapped with the crescent moon, the mark of the royal family. 

"I found it... my back hurts!" Dia whimpered. 

"It's all right," Rei smoothed the girl's hair. Turning to the others, she said, "Souls travel in groups, to relive good relationships, and fix the old ones. Remember that... this may be someone we know." They nodded in acknowledgement to the ancient prayer, watching as Rei moved closer to Dia. 

"I want you to open the door now," she ordered. Dia let loose a small cry as she obeyed, then fell silent, her features twisting into an expression of clarity. 

"Dia, tell us where you are." A collective gasp filled the room as everyone held their breathes. The small child laying on the cushion, the same little girl who'd played at the beach with Chibi-Usa, the same girl who'd sat in Usagi's lap and shared a cinnamon bun, the same girl who's features were so permanently etched in guilt, responded; 

"I'm not Dia anymore.... I'm Demando."


	8. Eight

Forgive Me 8/8  
By Meredith Bronwen Mallory  
mallorys-girl@cinci.rr.com 

Silence. All encompassing silence. It seemed to stretch towards eternity, broken only by the crash of thunder following Dia's words. 

"I'm not Dia anymore... I'm Demando." It was said so simply, so matter of fact, as though the child was merely remarking on the weather. Mamoru felt something change, the balance of power shifted once more. He'd felt it shift before, with Dia's arrival, and now it shifted again. He wasn't sure if it was in his favor or not. The other senshi stared at the eight year-old girl laying on the cushion, her hair spread about her, white contrasting with red. She was a child, a mere *child*! How could she possibly be Demando? 

"Go...Go on, tell us what you see," Rei said finally, adopting the soothing, gentle tone she'd used before. She was the first to regain her composure, the others staring on slack jawed. In a halting, calm tone, a childish voice with childish words that carried impossible maturity began to tell her story: 

"I'm standing on a balcony, I'm young, only about sixteen. It's dark out and some one is crying. I'm crying. I know I shouldn't cry, it's weakness. If I want to be Prince, if I want to lead my people, I can not be weak, the Wise Man says so. It's thundering and raining ash in the distance, I'm really cold. I turn around and go back inside. There's a woman laying on the bed, she's weak and pale and has to struggle for each breath she takes. She's coughing up blood. That's Topaz and I love her and I wanted to marry her some day. But I'm not going to do that now because she is dying and probably won't live to see tomorrow. That's why I'm crying, because I don't want her to leave me alone. I go over and sit on the edge of the bed. She tries to smile at me, but she has to cough. I look away, I don't want her to see me cry. 

"I hate the Terrians. I hate them so much I can't put it into words. They sent us here, to this hell. If they hadn't sent us here, Topaz wouldn't be sick from breathing in ash. If we were on Earth, she could breathe and be well again. If we were on Earth, I wouldn't have to be alone soon. Topaz puts her hand on mine. I love her so much. She says it's time for her to go, and for me not be sad because it's very nice where she's going and she'll see me again some day. I try and tell her not to go, but the words don't come out. She closes her eyes... she's dead. I hate her. She died.. she left me alone! She promised, promised she wouldn't leave me. She lied. I hate her, and I hate Earth and I hate myself. And I hate that I'm crying. I promise myself I will never cry again. I won't be weak, I'll lead my people and take back Earth, and I'll..." here Dia stopped. Her body was rigid and stiff, her face etched with sorrow, belaying her calm words. Mamoru felt something approaching compassion. He couldn't imagine going on without Usako. The light of his life, dead? Never! Unimaginable... 

"She's seeing things through Demando's eyes, and she can feel what he's feeling, but she is holding onto her own personality," Rei explained in a hushed whisper. The others nodded, and Ami looked away, tears in her eyes. It was so easy to hate an enemy without intimate knowledge of their situation... so easy to hate some one you didn't know. None of them could find it in their hearts to hate Dia. 

"It's all right," Rei assured the child, "Go on..." 

"I see people screaming. I killed them. There are so, so many of them. Their hands are reaching out to me, begging me to help them. But I don't do anything..." Dia whimpered, slipping out of Demando's persona for a moment, "How could I be so cold? How... how?" her voice was full of self-loathing. The lines of pain on her face smoothed out, and she continued; "I don't care. All that matters is getting to Earth. But, I hear the people screaming in my head at night, I hear them yelling at me. 'You killed me', they say. Over and over and over again until I think I'll loose my mind. Maybe I've already lost it, and I just don't know it yet. 

"I'm standing on the bridge of a ship, watching the fleet as they bomb Crystal Tokyo. I can almost hear the people screaming and crying, even through the heavy glass. I'll have to drink a lot tonight, to make the voices shut up. Sometimes I wonder what Topaz would think, if she could see me now. Would she be disgusted with me? Turn away and tell me I'm not the Demando she knew? Probably, I tell myself it doesn't matter. She betrayed me. She left me. I hate her. But there is someone I hate more. The King. Down there in the city is a man I hate. I hate him because he has something I don't..." Dia broke off suddenly, confusion marring her features. 

"Is something the matter?" Rei asked worriedly. Mamoru closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. He tried to calm his shaking body, but he could not. 'There is someone I hate more. The King. Down there in the city is a man I hate.' Dia had said. All the looks of hatred the small girl had ever shot him flashed before Mamoru's eyes. It was beginning to make sense... 

"I can see the girl," Dia said softly, speaking for her present self. Rei nodded with a knowing smile and the child continued, "She's a Queen... with blue eyes and a pretty smile, but I can't see anything else. It's all kind of blurry. But I know... I loved her." 

"Don't worry about it," the Martian woman assured Dia, "I'm sure it doesn't really matter." With this she smiled a little at Mamoru and he understood. Some things just weren't meant to be remembered. "Go on..." 

"I... the city is dead now. It's quite, the wind is cold. It used to be beautiful, but now it's just sad. I turn from the window and order the ship to leave. I keep feeling like someone is watching me from the palace... Never mind. 

"I'm someplace else now. It's dark, like a cave, but not. I'm inside... HE'S THERE!!" Dia shouted suddenly, no longer just a calm spectator looking out through Demando's eyes. She was there, feeling, thinking, emotionally...there. Arms and legs flailing, Dia began to thrash, crying and shouting incoherently. Without thinking, Mamoru leaned forward and grabbed her hand. The thrashing stopped, and Dia gripped his hand so tightly her fingers dug into his skin. The others were all crying silently now, the full implications of the situation hitting them with an earth shattering force. All their lives, the senshi had felt as though they were waiting for something. Makoto and Rei had been impatient, trying to hurry the future so they could find what they needed to feel complete. Minako had barely noticed the feeling, and yet she had been the first senshi to awaken, while Ami, though feeling acutely misplaced, had waited patiently for the right time to arrive. All four of them had felt complete and fully immersed in the present the moment they met Usagi, knowing, without really understanding, that this was their princess. And here was Dia, who lived her life shifting back and forth between the little girl she was, and the dark prince she had been. Her memories, unlike the senshi's, had not been buried, but ironically accessible, she was barely in a trance, and yet she could reach out and pull Demando's demons into the light. How terrible for an eight-year old girl to know exactly what sins she had committed in the past! 

"Who's there?" Rei asked at last, forcing her tears back. She was in charge here, she had to keep calm. 

"*HIM*," Dia said softly, "The man who killed my Otouto-chan. Wiseman," she spat the name, voice filled with hatred. "The girl is there too. I've been talking to her, lying to her. She keeps telling me the truth, but I don't want to hear it. Until... I remember Otouto-chan. He kept telling me that the Wiseman wasn't on our side, that he never was. I didn't listen to him, and now he's dead. It's my fault he's dead. Was he telling the truth? The same truth the girl is telling me now? I only have to look outside to see they're both right. The Earth, the Earth I wanted so badly is turning black and gray, just like Nemesis.. this wasn't what I wanted! Otouto-chan was right, the girl is right. The Wiseman lied to me all along, killed everyone I loved... Topaz, Rubeus, Esmerude, Otouto-chan..." 

"The Wiseman is here now. He's threatening the girl. He says he will kill her..." Dia stopped for a moment, dragging air into her lungs forcefully. Somehow, Mamoru felt he knew what was coming next. He remembered Dia's nightmares, her screams of 'DON'T KILL HER!' as she struggled for wakefulness "He says he will kill her," Dia repeated, "He shoots the energy at her, but it never hits her. I jump in front to save her. She and Otouto-chan were right all along! I won't let the Wiseman kill her, even if it means I die. The energy hits my back, it feels like ice but it burns so badly. I've fallen, the Wiseman is gone now, I think the girl destroyed him. It all hurts so much. She's holding my hand, telling me not to die. Why does she care, all I ever did was hurt her and lie to her," Silent tears streamed down Dia's face, "I want to ask her to forgive me, but I need to tell her something else. I need to tell her that I lied to her, I need to tell her it's all up to her now because I am going to die. I need to tell her she has to defeat the Wiseman. This is all my fault... I'll never be able to fix it!" the child cried out, her hold on Mamoru's hand becoming impossibly more tight than before. 

"What's going on?" Rei asked, "Where are you now?" 

"It's bright here, really bright. I can see anything but the light. It's warm and I don't hurt anymore. Some one else is here now. It's Saffir, my Otouto-chan! Only... there are other names for him too, and there are other names for me, and other names for Topaz, who is here too now. I understand now, they're explaining it to me. We've all been so many different people, and we keep living, trying to fix our mistakes. We've done this over and over again, and we'll keep doing it until we get it right. I..." she paused, frowning, "I'm Dia now." Slowly, the girl opened her violet eyes and looked at the others, her gaze pausing on each individually. Finally, her gaze rested on Mamoru, and the two sat there staring at each other for a long time. Everyone held their breath, wondering how the child would react, wondering what Mamoru would say. Finally, Dia broke the shroud of silence, her eyes shinning with tears. 

"Do you forgive me?" she asked. Mamoru was stunned, but he nodded slowly, giving Dia's hand a supportive squeeze. 

"Yes," he replied, "I forgive you." The child nodded slowly, before turning to Rei, who had laid a hand on her shoulder. 

"Why did I do those things?" she asked. 

"Dia, *you* didn't do those things, Demando did. There is a difference between you two. No one is blaming you for anything he did. All of those things are in the past where they belong," Rei paused, locking eyes with Dia, "Where he belongs. You are you now, and no one else." Slowly, the little girl nodded, reaching up to hug the priestess. 

"Thank you," she whispered, before her body went limp. "Is she alright?" Makoto asked as she reached over to help Rei support the child's body. 

"She's fine now, just sleeping," the Martian woman replied, laying Dia back on the cushions. The others nodded silently, letting out the breaths they'd been holding. 

"I would never have imagined," Ami said softly, shaking her head. 

"Neither did I, Ami-chan," Mamoru agreed 

"I guess this is what they mean by 'you sow what you reap," Minako put in. The others shook they're heads. 

"It's 'you reap what you sow,' Minako-chan, but I think you got it right this time," Rei said. 

Just then, a crash of thunder shook the temple, and a frightened cry pierced the air. They rushed into the main room, to find a very wet, very frightened Usagi, leaning against the temple door, Chibi-Usa at her side. 

"Usako?" Mamoru asked, moving towards her. She beat him to it, throwing herself into his arms as another flash of lightening ripped the sky. 

"Oh, Mamo-chan! I was at home with Chibi-Usa and I just got this feeling... It was so strange, but I wanted to see you right away because it scared me so badly," Usagi said as she rested her head in the crook of Mamoru's shoulder, "Is everything all right?" 

"Hai," Mamoru said with a smile, "Everything is fine now, Usako." He hugged her tightly, burying his face in her wet hair. Oblivious, but always loving, Usagi held her Mamo-chan back. 

"Chibi-Usa!" a little voice cried. The pink haired girl looked up to see her sister standing in the doorway, waving happily. All eyes turned to Dia, who looked for all the world like nothing had happened. Her violet eyes were bright, her hair waving happily, her posture and stance carefree. Most of all, Mamoru noticed, the black moon bruise on her forehead had faded to almost nothing. 

"Dia!" Chibi-Usa ran up to the other girl and gave her a very wet hug, "I hate the thunder!" As if to prove something, another crash rocked the temple, and Chibi-Usa hugged her sister more tightly. 

"Don't worry, Chibi-chan," Dia said playfully, "I'll protect you!" 

The rest of the afternoon passed leisurely, as if time had slowed for all of them, and not just the little white haired girl. Mamoru stood at the window, watching his two girls as they played in the puddles left by the rain. Dia splashed at Chibi-Usa playfully, who in turn, shoved some water in her sister's direction. They pranced about innocently, kicking up water and mud, occasionally running over to playfully tease Yuuichirou, who was trying to take down the laundry soaked by the rain. Mamoru chuckled as he watched the girls, particularly Dia. He had expected the other senshi, and himself, to be uncomfortable around her after the day's revelations, but surprisingly, they were not. They seemed to accept Rei's explanation that Dia had 'one foot in the past' and her guilt had been carried over from her past life. While she might share Demando's soul, Dia's own experiences and the way she was raised shaped who *she* was. 

"Penny for your thoughts?" Usagi said as she came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. 

"I was just thinking about forgiveness," he said as he turned in her embrace, resting his chin on her head. 

"Forgiveness?" she echoed, laying her head on his chest. 

"Hai, I think it's pretty important, don't you?" 

"Mmm.. aside from love, the most important thing there is." 

------- 

"Usagi?" Dia asked from her place in the older girl's lap. The storm had returned with a vengeance, forcing the children inside. Now Usagi had Dia in her lap, taking a brush gently to the child's tangled white locks. In the other room, the senshi and Chibi-Usa were planning a game with beads, their laughter occasionally breaking the companionable silence. Neither girl noticed Mamoru, who stood watching them from the doorway, a gentle, friendly shadow. 

"Hai, Dia?" Usagi replied. 

"If I did something bad, really bad, I mean, would you forgive me?" There was silence for a moment before Usagi replied. 

"I think that almost anything can be forgiven. After all, we are all only human, and no one is perfect. I'd like to think that I could forgive anyone, but I know there have been a few I could not forgive." 

"Like who?" Dia asked, holding her breath. Usagi didn't seem to notice that the girl's posture had stiffened. 

"Only one, Dia," the other senshi said softly, "Just Beryl. She did something very mean to Mamoru and I." The child nodded slowly, a smile blooming on her face. Turning quickly, Dia gave Usagi a hug. 

"I love you, Usagi-mama." 

"I love you too, Dia-chan." A crash of thunder shattered the moment, making both girls start. It was followed almost immediately by another, more intense crash that shook the entire building. A flash of lightening illuminated the dim room, and Mamoru noticed that someone else had appeared. It was Pluto, in full senshi regalia, her time staff clasped in her hand. 

"Pluto?" Makoto, who had come up behind Mamoru, along with the other senshi, asked. 

"Hello, Minna-chan," Pluto smiled, red eyes bright. 

"Puu!" Chibi-Usa cried, throwing herself at the older woman, who caught her easily. 

"Hello, Chibi-Usa," the Guardian of Time laughed, hugging the child. 

"Is it time for me to go, Pluto-chan?" Dia asked softly, crawling out of Usagi's lap to the stand before the senshi. Pluto let go of Chibi-Usa and nodded. 

"Hai, it is Dia," she held out a white gloved hand. 

"Can I say goodbye?" 

"Of course." 

"Bye Usagi-mama," Dia said as she gave the older girl a hug. Usagi hugged the little girl back tightly, a tears spilling from her eyes. 

"I'll miss you, Dia," she said, "Come back and visit, okay?" Dia nodded, smiling, as Usagi let go. 

"Hai, I'd like that!" she said, before turning to hug Chibi-Usa. Then she came to Mamoru, standing somewhat awkwardly before him. Mamoru stooped to eye level, wondering exactly what Dia wanted from him. He wished she might stay a little while longer, so he might get to know her, the *real* Dia he had only seen these last few hours. Quickly and unexpectedly, Dia threw her arms around the young man's neck and gave him a hug. Just before she pulled away, the child whispered something in his ear. 

"Thank you," she said. Then she was taking Pluto's hand, and waving her good-bye's to the other senshi. Accompanied by another flash of lightening, the two disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Sniffling loudly, Usagi gazed where they had once been wiping, her eyes. Mamoru came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her small frame. Slowly, the other senshi turned away, going back to their game. 

"Usagi-chan?" Chibi-Usa asked, giving the older girl's skirt a gentle tug, "Come play with us, you can be on my team." Usagi looked at the pink-haired child with surprise, her eyes widening at Chibi-Usa's smile. 

"Alright," she said, taking the little girl's hand. 

"Just don't mess it up," Chibi-Usa said playfully as she and Usagi went into the other room. 

"Oh, I won't," Usagi chuckled. Mamoru watched them go, shaking his head just a little before following. 

------------------- 

"Mama!" Dia flew down the marble hallway, a blur of light, and threw herself into her mother's arms. 

"Oh, Dia , sweet-pie, I missed you!" Neo-Queen Serenity said as she hugged her daughter. King Endymion stood off the side, gazing down at the two. He met Dia's eyes over her mother's shoulder, a smile blooming on his face when he saw nothing but love and happiness in her violet gaze. Extracting herself from her mother's arms, the little girl came up to her father, who scooped her up happily. 

"Did you have fun?" Serenity asked as she climbed to her feet. 

"Oh, yes," Dia said with a smile, before she let her lips fall into a pout, "But I wish Chibi-chan would come and visit soon, I'll have no one to play with!" 

"Oh, I don't know about that," the Queen said slyly, "If I'm not mistaken, I think a certain little boy came all the way from boarding school just to see you." Dia's eyes lit up, her smile bright as the sun. 

"Really?" she asked with baited breath. 

"Really," Serenity smiled, before calling out; "You can come out now!" In response, a handsome young boy, about ten, stepped out from behind one of the draperies that had served to hide his green-clad form. 

"KIP!" Dia shouted, launching herself from her father's arms. The little boy caught onto her as they connected, both of them ending up on the marble floor. Serenity chuckled, elbowing her husband playfully. 

"Kind of reminds me of when we were young," she smiled. Endymion wrapped an arm around her pulling her closer. 

"Hai, Serenity," he whispered, "Hai." As couple followed the children down the hall and out onto the sunny veranda, Endymion couldn't help but wonder if this was really the end for Dia, if she was healed and could go on withbeing a little girl. He certainly hoped so, and yet... something felt undone. 

-------------------  
Epilogue  
------------------- 

Two days later, Endymion sat in his study in the wee hours of the morning. He gazed out the window as he sipped at his coffee, Crystal Tokyo in all it's still-night splendor laid before him. Life was good. His relationship with Dia was back to normal, and his little girl seemed for all the world like the happy child she had once been. Her back had healed, which took a load of worry off both himself and Serenity, even if Ami had yet been unable too explain it. Endymion didn't need an explanation, he knew that his little girl was healed, that she had come to terms with what she had been and recognized it for what it was; something of the past. But, a tiny bloom of worry entered the father's heart, it seemed as though she wasn't *quite* ready to let go, as though she was waiting for something... 

"Papa?" Dia stood in the half open doorway of the study, clutching a small leather bag in her arms. Her violet eyes were tired and uncertain. 

"Yes?" Endymion managed through the tension that had suddenly fallen over the room. Somehow he sensed the importance of this moment, and knew that this was what they had been waiting for, what Dia had been waiting for. 

"There's something I need to do, will you come with me?" she asked. Endymion nodded, setting his cup down and pushing the papers aside. Work could wait, his daughter needed him now. 

Climbing to his feet, the King followed his eldest child down the hall and out into the courtyard. The night guards quietly saluted the monarchs, assuming that the King and Princess were merely out for a early morning walk, and not a life changing catharsis. 

Silently, Dia led her father down the path away from the palace and towards the city bellow. Their quite was thick, and yet companionable, as though they were sharing a moment of perfect, undeniable clarity. As they reached the end of the hill, Dia made sharp turn, and Endymion recognized the building rising before them. It was a memorial that had been set up just after the re-animation of Crystal Tokyo and the defeat of the Black Moon Family. Serenity had been adamant about it's creation, saying it would be a place for the people to remember their lost loved ones. The two guards standing at the doorway admitted the child and their King without question, stepping back into place as the doors closed. Inside, the place was cavernous, the walls filled with dedications to soldiers and citizens alike, those who had show uncommon valor. But it was the center piece that held the attention of Dia's violet gaze. In the middle of the room, a huge crystal pillar stood, reaching through the ceiling and toards the sky, flanked by two eternal flames. A thousand plus names had been carved into the pillar's surface by surviving family members who wanted the names of their loved ones remembered, and just in front was an alter, for those who did not have graves to visit. 

Quietly, Dia made her way to the fore of the altar, her father standing just a ways away, giving her privacy and space. Reaching into the leather bag, the child removed four wreaths of flowers, that had obviously been labored over by her own small hands. She laid them on the altar, one by one, with purpose in her movements. 

"For Rubues," she said as she placed the wreath of red carnations down, "For Emserude," the ivy wreath found it's place beside the one for the fallen general, "For Saffir, Otouto-chan," Dia sniffled a little, a tiny, crystalline tear landing on Saffir's wreath of orchids, "And..." she paused now, uncertain as she clutched the bundle of white roses, "For Demando," Endymion watched as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, laying the wreath with the others, "*I* forgive you." She said with certainly. Her face was upturned now, gazing at the ceiling with unseeing eyes as she prayed in a language Endymion knew not. 

With a sudden burst of clarity, the King took the end of his staff, removing the small blade sheathed within it's length. He put a gentle hand on Dia's back, leading her towards the pillar. She looked up at him with confusion, but he gave her a reassuring smile as he knelt next to her and handed her the blade. Nodding, Dia cried silent tears, accepting his gesture of support. With skill belaying her mere eight years, she carved three names into an empty space at the base of the pillar. Rubues, Esmerude, Saffir. Slowly, Dia traced each one with her free hand, looking at Endymion with surprise when he took the small knife from her. Then the King did something he never thought he would. Gripping the knife in his hand, he carved another name next to the other three: Demando. 

The sun rose over the city of Crystal Tokyo, shedding it's ethereal, rosy light on the guards who watched King Endymion and Princess Dia as they exited the memorial. Sakura, a young recruit, couldn't help but wonder at the tears on both their upturned faces. Surely neither of them had lost anyone in the Crisis? She merely shrugged and went back to her duty, walking the length of the memorial. 

Hand in hand, Endymion and Dia walked up the hill, headed back to the palace, where Serenity would be waiting for them. 

It was most definitely a bright, new day. 

--------------------  
15 years later  
-------------------- 

Dia Chiba Kino, Queen of Crystal Tokyo, stood leaning against the marble railing of her third story balcony, gazing out at the glittering lights of the city below. Had her father been present, he might have been quite startled, for the first time in years the resemblance between the young Queen and her past reincarnation were quite obvious. Brushing a lock of white hair away from her face, Dia took a small sip of her wine and went back to swirling it idly in the glass. Her violet eyes glittered curiously as she surveyed her kingdom. She was an excellent Queen, loved by the people, her rule bringing the same prosperity and peace as her mother before her. 

Mother. Dia smiled at the thought, her gaze shifting to the brilliant moon, hanging low in the horizon. Her mother's kingdom was there now, on the newly colonized moon where she ruled alongside Endymion. The young woman had always taken great comfort in the moon, it had been one of the many constants in her life, always shining down on her, even when Chibi-Usa went to the past, even when Galaxia's activities made her own existence uncertain, even when she grew too old to sit in her mother's lap. Even when... even when she was uneasy. 

Such was the case with the Queen now. It had been a great many years since Dia had been this unsettled, indeed, a great many years since she had paid any mind to Demando at all. Now he seemed all too close. 

'_He doesn't exist,_' Dia told herself, '_Mars said so. The only thing left of him is me._' Is that what frightened her so? No, it couldn't be. She'd made her peace with Demando ages ago. She had no problem accepting what she had been, once she fully understood it. In fact, there were times when she supposed her experiences as Demando aided her as Queen (though she would never tell her father that). She knew what mistakes not to repeat, and she was determined to make sure the past stayed where it belonged. 

The past. Again, her gaze shifted in the sky, and fell upon the shadowy light of a distant, distant star. A shiver ran down Dia's spine, turning it to cold ice, her violet eyes narrowing dangerously. It was a trait she shared with Demando, her eyes spoke volumes. They spoke of fear now, as they rested on the black light of Nemesis, glittering in the sky. More than a decade had passed since the Black Moon Crisis, and yet no one had ever ventured to wonder if anything was left of Demando's stronghold. '_That's it!_' Dia realized with a start. Something, something still lay on that miserable excuse for a planet, watching, waiting, gathering. How long until it decided to make it's presence known? The Queen's eyes narrowed further, her hand clutching the wine glass in a death grip. No one would threaten her planet, her home, her peace. No one would threaten the child that grew within her. 

"Darling, what are you doing out here in the cold?" a warm male voice asked as strong arms encircled her waist. Dia turned in her husband's embrace, plastering a smile on her face. 

"Nothing, Kip, just thinking," she replied, giving him a quick kiss, before laying her head on his shoulder. She attempted to draw strength and comfort from the man she loved, and was not disappointed Kip; playmate, best friend, genius, idiot, love of her life. He was all this and more, Dia adored him for it. 

"Come back to bed, darling," he advised, whispering the words in her ear, "You'll catch your death." Nodding, Dia allowed the King of Earth and Jupiter to lead her back into the bedroom, snuggling up beside him, waiting for his breathing to slow in the restfulness of sleep. As soon as she knew he was dreaming, Dia abandoned the bed in favor of the window seat, curling her fingers one more around the wine glass as she gazed out at the night. There were far too many things on her mind to sleep tonight. For a long, long time, Dia, once Princess, now Queen of Crystal Tokyo, once called Demando, White Prince of Nemesis, stared out at the black star that had once been her home. Something WAS different, she could feel it in her bones... in HIS bones. Slowly, Dia's eyes focused on her reflection in the clear window pane. It was her own, to be sure, long, waist length white hair, brilliant violet eyes, delicate feminine features. But flanking it, where there should only have been empty space, or perhaps the light from the hallway, was something else entirely. He complimented her nicely, a head or so taller than she, his white hair framing his handsome face, violet lined cape contrasting with the white of his suit. They could have been brother and sister, but they were much closer. Raising her glass in a small, mock salute of acknowledgement, Dia smiled. Demando smiled back. 

```````````````` 

And that, Minna-chan, marks the end of my little saga. PLEASE, let me know what you think! Good? Bad? Way too out there? LET ME KNOW!! EMAIL EMAIL EMAIL ME!!


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